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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Stephen Topping

Car bursts into flames after 'exploding' on busy Greater Manchester road

This was the moment firefighters dealt with a huge blaze on a busy Bolton road where a car was found 'exploding'. Firefighters raced out to De Havilland Way, near the M61 in Westhoughton, after 6.45pm on Monday (January 23).

Dramatic video footage shows the crew battling large flames, which were erupting from a white Ford close to a roundabout. Stephen Duffy says he stopped and called 999 after seeing the fire.

"I was first on scene and was surprised that no one had already called the fire brigade so to prevent anything as the car was exploding," he said. "I used my works van to block the road and call the emergency services which were very quick to respond."

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Stephen was also left stunned by the actions of two drivers who he says 'drove round my van' to turn right at the roundabout, rather than avoiding the scene after firefighters had put out the flames. The video footage shows firefighters from Horwich using a hose to put the fire out.

Flames can still be seen emerging from the car, while huge plumes of smoke billow from the vehicle. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “Just after 6:45pm yesterday evening (Monday, January 23) we received the first of several reports about a vehicle fire on De Havilland Way, Westhoughton.

The fire on De Havilland Way, Bolton (Stephen Duffy)

"Firefighters from Horwich fire station were quickly in attendance, and the crew worked with colleagues from National Highways to make the area safe and manage traffic around the scene. They were in attendance for around 45 minutes.”

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