UP IN FLAMES
Shocking moment £25k Kia bursts into flames as it drives down the road – before driver runs to get bags from the boot
THIS is the shocking moment a £25,000 Kia burst into flames while driving down a busy road, with the driver scrambling to get their bags out.
The white SUV was cruising along steadily in Luton, Bedfordshire, when a jet of flame suddenly shot out from underneath it.
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Footage of the terrifying blaze shows the motor slowing down in traffic while already alight.
Quick-thinking workers from a waste management firm, who were driving behind and filming the unfolding horror, leapt out to alert the driver to what was happening.
One yelled: "Get out. Your car is on fire man, underneath."
His driving companions beeped their truck's horn furiously in an effort to warn the pair in the Kia.
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Thankfully, a man and a woman were able to escape the motor before the flames took hold.
The man even had time to run back around to the boot and extract their bags as the fire raged.
They then stood to the side and watched helplessly as their car was engulfed in the inferno, which is believed to have been caused by a mechanical issue.
Police and fire crews swiftly arrived to block off the road and attempt to tackle the blaze.
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However, by the time they got there the car was already burnt black and the flames were leaping high into the sky.
By the end of the clip, black smoke was billowing out across the road and the car itself was almost hidden by the fire.
To make things even worse, all this happened on Friday the 13th this month.
And it is the second fire in Luton in as many weeks, with dozens of motors at the town's major airport being destroyed in a devastating car park blaze.
Locals flooded to wish the pair well, with one saying: "Glad they're safe."
A Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “On Friday, 13 October at around 14.24pm, we were called to reports of a vehicle on fire on Crawley Green Road, Luton.
"One fire engine from Luton attended the incident, and firefighters used breathing apparatus, hose reels and a thermal imaging camera to safely extinguish the fire.
"A scene safety zone was implemented by Bedfordshire Police alongside the fire service.
"Fire Control received five repeat calls to this incident."
A Bedfordshire Police spokesperson added: "We were called at 2.20pm on October 13 to reports of a vehicle on fire.
"Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also attended.
"Early investigations suggest the fire was caused by a mechanical fault with the vehicle, and no one was injured."
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It comes after a £290,000 McLaren hybrid sports car was filmed erupting in a fireball during a test driver in Leeds, Yorkshire.
Meanwhile, a huge car maker axed 2,500 jobs to save cash - and hundreds of UK workers are at risk.
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