An Escondido Fire Department crew and a patient were safely evacuated from a burning ambulance Sunday morning, according to the Times Advocate. The ambulance caught fire on Highway 15 around 8:40 a.m., said spokesman Jeff Murdock. Murdock told the newspaper two patients and a parent were being transported to Children’s Hospital in San Diego when one of the paramedics smelled smoke and pulled over. Seeing the problem was getting worse, the crew removed the patients and parent from the rig while calling for additional resources. A San Diego Falck ambulance transported the patients and parent to the hospital. The cause of the fire is under investigation. The ambulance was declared a total loss.