This is the terrifying moment the engine of a transit van parked close to people’s homes began exploding, sending sparks of white-hot material towards other vehicles, homes and people.
Neighbours in the residential street in Bristol rushed from their beds at around 3am this morning, Sunday, as the van began to go up in flames.
Before fire crews arrived, people living in the Lawrence Weston street hurried to move their own vehicles away from the growing inferno.
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Firefighters from nearby Avonmouth arrived to the scene in Broadlands Drive just as the engine - with all the chemicals, oils and gases began to ignite - sent white hot flames into nearby hedges, driveways and gardens.
One neighbour filmed the scene as a line of burning petrol flowed across the end of her driveway, and as shards of white-hot material was sent spinning into a hedge and garden.
“We were woken up around 3am by loud bangs - luckily we moved my car straight away before it got really big and trapped us in our driveway,” she said.
“It was pretty scary,” she added.
Fire crews tackled the blaze with a hose and put out the flames quickly - leaving a smouldering wreck by first light.
A spokesperson for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said the cause of the blaze had not yet been confirmed.
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