FEDERAL WAY, Wash. (AP) -- A man died after being pulled from a smoldering car in this suburb between Seattle and Tacoma, but the fire apparently was not a factor in the death, authorities said.
Investigators in the King County medical examiner's office identified the man Wednesday night as Ralph Smithers, 60, of Federal Way, but the cause of death was not available. Police were investigating.
Municipal Fire Department spokeswoman Debbie Goetz said commuters found a smoking car had stalled and was blocking traffic near an intersection Wednesday morning, pulled the unconscious Smithers from the vehicle and were unable to revive him.
The car caught fire soon after he was removed and firefighters extinguished the flames when they arrived soon afterward, Goetz said.
The cause of the fire appeared to be an engine malfunction, she added.
