The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)

Man pulled from car in fire blast drama

Explosion caused houses to shake as car burst into flames

- CLAIRE WARRENDER cwarrender@thecourier.co.uk

A man was pulled from his burning car after a dramatic explosion which caused houses to shake.

Brave members of the public rushed to the driver’s aid as the vehicle was engulfed by flames in Macindoe Crescent, close to St Marie’s Primary School in Kirkcaldy, at lunchtime yesterday.

He was pulled from the burning vehicle seconds after the blast, described by locals as being like an earthquake, and treated by paramedics at the scene.

Remarkably, he was not seriously injured.

Neither police nor the fire service could confirm reports the fire was caused by an exploding gas cylinder within the Kia Sportage.

Darren Hepburn, whose home overlooks the site of the blaze, said: “I felt the house shake and heard a loud bang.

“I ran to the window and saw the back of the car on fire and a few guys pulling out an older guy. Thankfully, he was okay.

“Apparently there was a gas tank in the back that blew up and started the whole thing.”

Darren said that by the time the fire service arrived the car had rolled several metres down the street and crashed into a bus stop.

“The area had been cleared out by then. It had been on fire for about five minutes before it rolled,” he said.

“The police weren’t letting anyone leave their houses until they knew the tank was dealt with.”

A huge plume of thick, black smoke could be seen over much of Kirkcaldy at the height of the drama, which left the white car a blackened, burned out shell.

A spokeswoma­n for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said they were alerted at 1.19pm to reports of a car on fire.

“Two fire appliances were immediatel­y dispatched to the scene and firefighte­rs used powerful water jets to extinguish the fire,” she said.

“One casualty was treated at the scene by paramedics and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”

Police remained there for several hours afterwards to investigat­e the cause of the blast.

 ?? Pictures: Steven Brown. ?? The car rolled down the street and crashed into a bus stop.
Pictures: Steven Brown. The car rolled down the street and crashed into a bus stop.
 ??  ?? The Kia Sportage exploded into flames in Macindoe Crescent, Kirkcaldy.
The Kia Sportage exploded into flames in Macindoe Crescent, Kirkcaldy.

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