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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Lucy Skoulding

Mum's Range Rover exploded 'like a bomb' before huge fire destroyed her home

A mum has been left in shock after her Range Rover exploded outside her home like a 'bomb'.

Lauren Griffiths was driving home from work to Ammanford in South Wales in her Range Rover Velar when the vehicle lost power all of a sudden.

The 37-year-old managed to park the £58k car outside her home in Llwyngwern, Hendy, near Swansea.

But it then burst into flames right next to her three-storey home, reports The Sun.

The foot health specialist did manage to rush away from the burning vehicle but the flames quickly spread to her home and her neighbours' homes.

Three fire engines spent two and a half hours fighting the fire as it spread through Lauren's home.

The mum told the Sun: "There were blue sparks coming from the grill and quite a bit of smoke, it was terrifying.

“I wasn’t able to switch the engine off either. I was pressing the start/stop button and nothing was happening and there was a loud banging from underneath the bonnet."

The flames spread to Lauren's 3-storey home (eyJpdiI6Im5TNDJ0RDczK1A4U1ZGZmZjM0l5bEE9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiQmYwRWppWjAxMnNRWm9SWjQrWis3WGRYR09yRlRLTnEyNUQ3MnhkV2JoM0djRWFUSE1EMnlZQXVSNE9sQkxBYiIsIm1hYyI6IjcwZTY0YzQwNWU5ODQ1OGFjZTQxYTkyMzI1Nzc3OTU5OTBl)

Panicking, Lauren grabbed her two sons and ran into the garden of her house as she called 999.

Then a passerby helped the family into another nearby garden where they could keep away from the fire.

Lauren described how all the neighbours ran out into the garden and everyone watched shocked as the Range Rover exploded.

She said it was like a bomb had gone off as there was debris everywhere.

That was when firefighters arrived on the scene to tackle the blaze.

Lauren has claimed Range Rover won't take liability for the car because it was two months over its warranty.

She added that she has gone to Land Rover for everything, from the car's MOT and wear and tear issues to even the oil top ups.

And everything was fine after its MOT which only happened in November.

The Mirror has contacted Jaguar Land Rover for a comment.

Lauren's landlord said her home is now a health and safety risk and she cannot salvage anything from inside, including her son's first hair and teeth.

A Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said: "On attendance, crews were confronted with a car fire that had spread to a semi-detached property and was well alight.

"Firefighters extinguished the fire using four breathing apparatus, two hose reel jets, two thermal imaging cameras and a short extension ladder.

"The fire had destroyed the vehicle and had caused fire and smoke damage throughout the property. Neighbouring properties had also suffered heat damage from the fire.

"The Police and Western Power were also in attendance.

"The Fire Service ventilated the property, using a positive pressure ventilation fan, and left the incident at 09:58pm.

"The cause of the fire is believed to be accidental."

A Land Rover spokesman told The Sun: "Customer safety is our highest priority.

"We are aware of the incident and we sympathise with Ms Griffiths’ experience, the cause of which is yet to be determined.

"We have duly offered mobility to the customer and are willing to support an investigation by the insurer – the process for which, requires the insurer to investigate first, to avoid any adverse effect on Ms Griffiths’ home and vehicle insurance policies."

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