Kentish Express Ashford & District
Lucky driver flees as car catches fire
A man had a lucky escape when a passers-by warned him of a fire starting in the bottom of his broken-down car.
The Mercedes had broken down in Bad Munstereifel Road, in Ashford, around 5.45pm last Wednesday but the driver escaped just moments before the car burst into flames.
Two fire engines, police and ambulance were called to the scene.
Firefighters used compressed air foam and spent about 45 minutes tackling the blaze.
Watch manager Jim Smart said: “The car had broken down and basically some passers-by saw it was alight underneath. So he warned the driver who quickly got out and then it just burst into flames.”
Paramedics attended the incident but luckily the driver was not injured. Emergency crews were called to a roundabout in Kingsnorth last Friday afternoon after a car overturned.
The accident happened at the junction of Merino Way and Long Length at 1.30pm.
A police spokesman said: “When officers arrived, the driver was out of the vehicle and not reporting any injuries.”
KCC Highways workers also attended the scene to deal with an oil spillage.
The road was partially blocked and drivers experienced some delays in the area.
Firefighters believe the blaze had probably started due to an engine fault.
Drivers experienced slight delays as the road was shut for about 20 minutes.