Narrow escape for patient as ambulance explodes

AN AMBULANCE exploded with fire shortly after a 91-year-old patient in a wheelchair was dropped off at their home, footage shows.

David and Marilyn Brinklow were having a cup of tea when they heard a huge bang and saw flames in their front garden.

Minutes earlier, a private ambulance had dropped off the couple’s elderly neighbour, following a hospital stay.

Footage shows two care workers wheeling the woman to her home in Barton-under-needwood, Staffs at around 1.45pm on March 14.

One of the carers is seen checking the ambulance after a worried passerby spots smoke pouring from the engine and alerts them.

Minutes later the vehicle explodes with such force that its roof is ripped off and flies 50ft into the air, before crashing through the Brinklows’ garage.

Firefighters dashed to the scene and managed to extinguish the flames.

Incredibly, no one was injured in the blast, which caused extensive damage

‘It went off like a roman candle… it was like a horror show. It’s incredible no one was killed’

to the Brinklow’s home and set fire to their garden.

The heat was so intense the back of their Honda Civic melted while their living room windows shattered and their curtains were singed.

Ms Brinklow, 74, said: “It was like a Hollywood movie. I suffer with my nerves and it didn’t do me any good.

“I keep having flashbacks. There was nothing left of the ambulance and all the bits of it, like a volcano, were flying off like glass and started burning our nets. It’s horrible to talk about.”

Retired carpenter Mr Brinklow, 69, said the house suffered smoke damage and the electricity was cut off to the garage. He said: “It went off like a roman candle. I was shocked – it was like a horror show. It’s incredible no one was killed. Our neighbour was in the ambulance a short time before it exploded.

“The heat was so bad the back of our car literally melted. We just want the insurance company to hurry up so we can repair our home.”

EMED, the private ambulance company, said it was investigating the cause of the explosion.

The burnt-out wreckage of the ambulance that exploded in Staffordshire. Smoke poured from the engine as a 91-year-old patient was wheeled out, before the explosion