Shropshire car fire driver 'lucky to be alive'

Pet shop worker Chris Jones saw the man in the Volvo estate parked in Broseley High Street, completely unaware that flames were coming out from underneath the car – despite shop workers across the road shouting to get his attention.

Mr Jones alerted the man to the fire, and along with passer-by Carl Pryce grabbed fire extinguishers and put the flames out before they could spread. Mr Jones, who was serving a customer at the time of the fire shortly before noon yesterday, said the flames were growing in intensity and he feared it could have caused an explosion.

Firefighters attended the scene but the fire was out by the time they arrived. The cause is not yet known.

Mr Jones, from Aqueduct, in Telford, said he had noticed a burning smell moments before he saw the car on fire.

He said: "I walked out of the shop and saw the flames. There was a man sitting in the car, but he hadn't noticed the flames as he was talking on his mobile phone.

"I ran to the car and shouted for the man to get out, then myself and passer-by Carl Pryce tackled the blaze.

"I grabbed the fire extinguisher from our shop and used it on the fire. Mr Pryce got a fire-extinguisher from the Younique hairdressers and joined me.

"We also used a fire-extinguisher from the hardware store next door and managed to put the fire out by the time the fire service arrived."

Mr Jones, whose wife Tracey owns the pet shop, said it was only after the blaze had been put out that he realised how serious the situation could have been.

He said: "If no-one had noticed those flames I dread to think what would have happened, but I am pretty sure the man would have been killed.

"After getting the man out of his car it was just instinctive to try and put the fire out."