A car driving south on Route 8 caught fire near Exit 41 in Northfield at 4:20 p.m. Thursday. No one was injured, but traffic was backed up for miles. Northfield Volunteer Fire Chief Ryan Crichton said the fire appeared to have started in the engine and spread quickly to the rest of the car. The fire was extinguished in about 3 minutes, Crichton said. East Litchfield Volunteer Fire Department also responded and put out a related brush fire on the side of the road. A blackened patch of grass is still visible on the west side of the road. Route 8 was shut down for about 10 minutes because of the heavy smoke, adding to the traffic mess.