Man escapes fiery death

A motorist narrowly escaped a fiery death on Sunday after his Toyota motor car burst into flames and exploded along the Long Hill main road in St James on Sunday afternoon.

The hourlong fire, which consumed the motor car, resulted in a major traffic pile-up on the thoroughfare.

Dozens of residents and motorists sought to assist the unlucky driver in attempting to put out the raging fire. He was only able to escape barefooted and managed to salvage musical equipment from the burning vehicle.

Reports are that shortly after 2 p.m., the driver was travelling from Reading towards Anchovy when, on reaching the Kings Gate main road, the vehicle apparently developed an electrical problem and caught fire.

The driver leapt from the vehicle and attempted to put out the blaze with a bucket of water, which he acquired from a neighbouring yard.

The Freeport Fire Department extinguished the fire.

The driver, who is believed to have sustained burn injuries, was later taken away from the scene.

– Hopeton Bucknor