The owner of a van driving through the Town of Gibraltar had a scary start to their New Year’s Eve celebrations when the vehicle caught fire and became fully engulfed. The Gibraltar Fire Department responded to the fire near County Highway F and West Meadow Road just before 7:20 p.m. The driver told Gibraltar Fire Captain Jason Ward Merkel that they were driving down the road when they noticed smoke and sparks coming from the hood area of the van. The fire started shortly after the driver safely exited the vehicle. Merkel says it took about an hour for crews to put out the blaze, using approximately 500 gallons of water. He added that no one was hurt in the fire and that the exact cause is unknown.