2 women escape before SUV bursts into flames

Two women escaped unharmed after a mattress, stuck under their SUV, ignited and caused the vehicle to burst into flames on an interstate in the Twin Cities area.

Kathleen Rich says she didn't see the mattress dropped on Interstate 494 until it was too late to avoid it.

Rich tells The Associated Press she hit the mattress, but thought she had left it behind until other drivers on the interstate frantically motioned for her to pull over. Rich says she stopped her SUV on an exit ramp and when she and friend Marcia Rogers opened their doors, flames shot up from under the vehicle.

Rich and Rogers took shelter in the car of a couple who came to their aid and watched as the SUV burst into flames. The Greenfield, Wis., woman says she's glad to be alive.

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