NORTON - There was an odd twist to a car fire on Interstate 495 late Sunday night.

While most car owners would want to put out a flaming car, state police allege the man whose car burst into flames around 10:15 p.m. was adding fuel to the fire.

When a state trooper pulled up to the fire on the northbound side of the highway, Domingos Fernandes, 28, of Brockton, was allegedly throwing tree limbs onto his flaming car, according to a police report.

Fernandes was arrested after he allegedly became belligerent with the trooper. He pleaded innocent Monday in Attleboro District Court to being a disorderly person, and was released without bail.

He is due back in court June 6. Meanwhile, police say the driver of a car that crashed into a state police cruiser parked in the breakdown lane with its emergency lights flashing near the car fire suffered minor injuries.

The man, whose name was not available, had to be extricated from the vehicle and was taken to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

The trooper, whose name was not disclosed, was walking back to his cruiser at the time of the crash and was not injured. He was driving to work in Sturbridge around the time and stopped to assist police at the scene, authorities said.

The cruiser was pushed 125 feet into the back of a Norton fire engine, which sustained an undetermined amount of damage and had to be taken out of service for a few hours, Norton Fire Chief Richard Gomes said.

Gomes said several firefighters almost were struck when the police cruiser was shoved into the back of the fire engine.

The fire engine was later put back into service and fire officials were awaiting a determination by the town's insurance company as to the damage, Gomes said.

That's not the only hazard police and fire officials had to contend with.

The cruiser's gas tank ripped open on impact, spilling about 20 gallons of gasoline on the highway.

Firefighters sprayed foam from the fire department's special hazardous waste truck to keep the fire from spreading.

The incidents occurred on I-495 North just north of the Route 123 exit. Traffic was diverted to Route 123 for about an hour. The cause of the crash was under investigation and no charges were immediately filed against the driver who crashed into the cruiser, a state police spokesman said.

DAVID LINTON can be reached at 508-236-338 or at dlinton@thesunchronicle.com.