EPPING — Tyler Kapsimalis got out of his Ford Taurus as soon as he rear-ended the vehicle in front of him, but when his car went in flames moments later, he remembered the ammunition he uses for water fowl hunting sitting under the seat.

“I knew there was at least one box, so I reached through the fire and grabbed it,” the 20-year-old Barrington man said as his charred car was loaded onto the flatbed of a tow truck Friday afternoon.

The fire created some tense moments for police and firefighters because Kapsimalis dropped some ammunition from the box and wasn't sure how much was still inside as fire engulfed the car on Route 125 near the entrance to the Epping Crossing shopping center.

But the box wasn't the only concern as Kapsimalis feared there could be other bullets inside.

“I know sometimes when we've been hunting before there have been some bullets here and there,” he said.

Police Officer Steve Soares was the first on the scene and tried to douse the flames with his fire extinguisher, but the blaze was too intense.

It wasn't until after he tried to put it out that Kapsimalis told him about the ammunition.

At that point, Soares said he warned other emergency responders to use caution.

“They could hurt somebody. It's still gun powder and it can still explode,” said Soares, adding that he's not sure how much ammunition was left behind in the vehicle because it sustained significant fire damage.

The crash happened just before 3 p.m. when Kapsimalis rear-ended a Hyundai Santa Fe driven by Dotty Aronofsky, who then hit a truck pulling a boat while they were stopped at a traffic light, police said.

Kapsimalis suffered a minor hand injury but neither Aronofsky nor the driver pulling the boat, Scott Davis, 55, of Bradford, Mass., was hurt.

Aronofsky, 55, of Hudson, said she didn't know about the ammunition in the car at first.

“I was just concerned when I saw the smoke,” she said.

Deputy Fire Chief Bruce Chapman said ammunition is always a concern for firefighters, but usually it's a problem they encounter when fighting house fires.

“The shells are going to heat up and pop off. If we were inside and the shell went off in our face that could be a problem. If a whole box pops off a firefighter could get hurt. It could get into their mask,” Chapman said.

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Jason Schreiber may be reached at jschreiber@newstote.com.