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An Austin man barely escaped his car Friday morning before it erupted into flames in downtown Austin.

Jim Kominek was on his way to the Austin Daily Herald to pick up papers for delivery when his 1999 Ford Escort started smoking just before noon.

“All the sudden, I smell all this smoke,” Kominek said just before he reached the Herald parking lot.

Kominek mentioned no problems with the car that would likely cause the fire. Yet he could tell the car was on fire underneath his dash before he stopped and got out of the car.

“I was on my last breath, I think, when I pulled in here,” Kominek added.

Kominek escaped the car a few seconds before it was engulfed in flames. Kominek was not injured, but he was treated later in the day for smoke inhalation. His car is a total loss, however, and Kominek said he did not have full insurance coverage.

Austin firefighters arrived within minutes, and it took them about a minute to douse the flames.

“I didn’t have a good chance to even get my gear on,” said firefighter Tim Olson.

Kominek had just filled the car with gas; however, Olson said the blaze was extinguished before any gas ignited. Olson said every car fire is different, but he suspects firefighters doused the flames just before the gas ignited.