APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES AFTER I STARTED UP MY CAR AND BEGAN DRIVING TODAY I BEGAN TO NOTICE A STRANGE AND STRONG ODOR. I HAD MY DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW DOWN (POWER WINDOWS) AND INITIALLY ATTRIBUTED THE ODOR TO A LARGE TRUCK THAT WAS SEVERAL CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF ME. I NOTICED THAT THE ODOR PERSISTED EVEN ONCE THE TRUCK WAS NO LONGER VISIBLE TO ME OR IN CLOSE PROXIMITY. AT THAT POINT I THEN ENTERED ONTO A MAJOR HIGHWAY VIA THE ENTRANCE RAMP, AND GOT MY SPEED UP TO THE SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MILES PER HOUR. AS I WAS DRIVING I NOTICED A LARGE AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING UP FROM MY POWER WINDOW SWITCHES ON THE DRIVER'S DOOR. IN ADDITION TO THE SMOKE I COULD SEE AN ACTUAL FLAME BURNING UNDERNEATH THE SWITCHES. MY INITIAL RESPONSE WAS FEAR AND PANIC, BUT I WAS ABLE TO FIND A SAFE SPOT TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AFTER A COUPLE OF MINUTES. MY FIRST THOUGHT WAS TO DIAL 911, BUT I WAS AFRAID BY THE TIME SOMEONE ARRIVED THE CAR MIGHT BURST INTO FLAMES AND BLOW UP!! I IMMEDIATELY THOUGHT THAT I NEEDED TO TRY TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE SOMEHOW AS MY CAR WAS FILLING WITH SMOKE AND THE ODOR WAS OVERWHELMING. I QUICKLY LOOKED AROUND TO SEE IF I HAD ANY BOTTLED WATER IN THE CAR-BUT I DID NOT. THE ONLY LIQUID I HAD ACCESSIBLE TO DOWSE THE FLAMES WAS MY ICED COFFEE-SO I POURED A SMALL AMOUNT OVER THE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE SWITCHES TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE, BUT IT CONTINUED TO BURN. I THEN PROCEEDED TO POUR HALF OF MY ICED COFFEE OVER THE SWITCHES WHICH DID FINALLY EXTINGUISH THE FI