Fire investigation launched after another late-night car blaze in Telford
Residents have spoken of their fears after a car was destroyed by the latest fire in a residential area of Telford on Monday night.
A fire investigation has been launched after the vehicle was engulfed by flames in Duddell Street in the Lawley area of the town at around 11.30pm.
Pictures posted on Facebook showed flames dramatically spreading across the street, towards other cars and properties as the fuel flowed towards recessed surface water drains.
Cars on the modern estate park directly in front of houses and heat damage melted plastic guttering, cracking the front door and melting a door bell at the property. The owner did not wish to comment.
See footage of the fire from an eyewitness:
Janie Homes, 63, and her daughter Amy, 35, were awoken by their dogs barking.
"It was bad, and I can't get my head around it if it was a deliberate act. It is putting people at great risk. The owners are nice people," said Janie.
The first thing they knew about it was when their dogs started barking and then the car alarm went off, said Amy.
"I went out to move the car in my dressing gown as we were worried that the flames would spread to it."
And Janie added: "We saw a line of flames go across the street towards other properties but it changed direction and went down the middle of the road."
Residents spoke of the car owner desperately trying to put the flames out with buckets of water but being told not to as a crowd of people gathered in the tight knit community. And another resident went out to bang on the doors of other neighbours to make sure everyone was aware of what was going on.
Another neighbour, who did not wish to be named, said: "I will be more worried if it turns out to be arson. It is different if it was an electrical fault."
But he also spoke of his "panic" as the flames dramatically rose and spread. Burn marks remain on the surface of the brick-cobbled narrow streets.
Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said two fire appliances from Tweedale and Wellington were scrambled to at 11.39pm where firefighters found a car totally alight.
Police also attended the scene with a fire service operations officer and an investigation has been launched.
Officers used a positive pressure ventilation fan to get rid of smoke.
Two fire fighters donned breathing apparatus and two hosereel water jets were used to extinguish the flames.
The fire service incident stop message was received 45 minutes later at 12.26am.
West Mercia Police has been approached for comment.
It's the third reported car fire in the town in March, after blazes in the Ketley and Leegomery areas earlier this month, and is the latest in a spate of blazes since the turn of the year including six in 10 days.
One involved a car belonging to far-right activist Tommy Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, which was set on fire outside Wellington's Whitehouse Hotel in January.
