Cars blown up by air fresheners
A WOMAN had a miracle escape after her car exploded when she lit a cigarette and it ignited an air freshener on her back seat.
Sharon Druitt, 51, suffered burns and lost her eyebrows in the huge blast, which bent all four doors and sent her windscreen flying 30ft into the air.
Yesterday it emerged an almost identical incident occurred just weeks ago.
A man was injured on August 26 when he sprayed air freshener in his car before lighting a cigarette.
Firefighters issued a warning after “significant damage” to the vehicle in Doncaster, South Yorks.
Sharon had bought the £3.49 cherry blossom-scented air freshener from her local B&Q in Southend, Essex, and was in the car park in her silver Ford Focus.
It is believed gases leaking from the aerosol may have been ignited by the cigarette. She suffered burns to her arm and is being treated in hospital.
Sharon said: “I put the air freshener in the back seat, lit a cigarette, turned the engine on then... bang.
“I was on morphine from the moment I left the car park, so I had no idea of the damage. The officer said ‘do you know what you got out of?’ and showed me the images of the car after the explosion.
“I am lucky to be alive. I have burns up my arms and I’m shaken and nervous.” She said the air freshener was a foreign brand she had not seen before which was “like a party popper” and that she “100%” did not spray it in the car.
Witnesses said Sharon scrambled out of the Focus with her hair singed. One said: “At first we thought it was a terrorist attack. Then I heard screams and ran to the car and all the windows were smashed and the doors were buckled. The whole car park is covered in bits of car.” The man said Sharon was in shock after the blast and tried to return to the vehicle to rescue her handbag. He added: “I said ‘no, no, no the roof is on fire’. I basically had to push her to the other end of the car park.” A probe by Essex County Fire & Rescue found no evidence of a leak from the aerosol. Divisional Officer Justin Benson-Ryal said: “Incidents like this are extremely rare but it is important for everyone to be aware how flammable aerosol cans can be.” A B&Q spokesman wished Ms Druitt “a quick recovery” and noted the findings of the fire brigade.