A car fire in the parking deck under The Alley, a Hillsborough Street bowling alley, caused several emergency vehicles to close down a section of Hillsborough Street Tuesday night.

Eyewitnesses say the vehicle was a burgundy Dodge Stratus, and the car was already engulfed upon discovery. The fire began at approximately 9 p.m.

“I saw smoke coming from the [parking deck] and when I saw the car, flames was coming from the hood,” said James Cates, employee at Savage & Heads Tattoo shop.

“The flames were probably 10 feet tall,” Cates said. “It was burning good.”

Cates said initially people were taking pictures and recording video of the fire, until the smoke in the parking deck became unbearable.

“There were people in there taking pictures,” Cates said. “But then the smoke got too bad.”

Bystander Caleb Leonard said although the vehicle was surrounded by other parked cars, it was the only one on fire.

“It was just one car by itself,” Leonard said. “We grabbed a fire extinguisher, but that just kept it from spreading.”

Hillsborough Street remained closed down on the westbound side from Pogue Street to Horne Street while crews dealt with the vehicle and worked to help ventilate the smoke-filled parking deck.