Notting Hill horror: Three die in fireball af ter ‘90mph crash’
THREE people died after a car speeding at up to 90mph smashed into a building and exploded in a fireball early yesterday.
The driver and two passengers were killed in the inferno after the vehicle crashed into the sheltered accommodation block.
Police said the car had been travelling at up to 90mph before hitting a humpback bridge and slamming into the building.
It is thought that a railing may have pierced the fuel tank, causing at least two explosions.
Layla Rigby, who lives nearby in Notting Hill, west London, said her husband Daniel, 35, jumped out of bed to try to rescue a man as flames swamped the car.
She said: ‘We heard a huge crash and explosion so I told my husband to go down and see what it was. He said that he pulled on the
‘Husband tried to drag man from car’
door and tried to save him. He managed to get the door open a little bit just before it burst into flames. The driver was still alive and making gestures so he tried to get him out but the flames were too much.
‘He couldn’t get the guy’s seatbelt off him and he had to step back before it all exploded. He’s a welder and used to be in the Navy so he’s seen a lot. He just wanted to do his best to save them.’
The car, thought to be Honda Civic, slammed into the corner of the sheltered accommodation in Great Western Road.
Windows were blown out by the blast and masonry was left scattered across the road, but it is not thought any residents were injured. Fire crews evacuated nine people as a precaution.
Retired chartered surveyor Brian Waldy, 70, who lives in a basement flat close to the scene, said: ‘I heard this big crash and at least ten bricks fell down onto the stairs outside. I put my dressing gown on and came out and saw the bright yellow flames enveloping the car – about a metre high. There was a man a couple of metres away shouting into the car – something about the seatbelt buckle.
‘But then someone else shouted “Move away, bro, it’s going to blow”, so the guy moved back and got out of the way. Then there were at least two explosions.’
Emergency services removed bodies from the wreckage.
Police were last night trying to identify the crash victims and appealed for information.