Latest news with #firebrigade
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Telegraph
‘My Range Rover caught fire – it's more common with diesels than EVs'
In October 2024, cybersecurity professional Michala Hart took her three Labradors for their morning walk a little over a mile's drive from her Cambridgeshire home. When she returned to her car, fire was ripping through the 2020 Range Rover Vogue diesel. 'The fire started about 10 minutes after I parked. A farmer was loading grain in the farmyard near where I had parked and he noticed white smoke coming from the driver's side wheel. He walked over to take a look and the smoke quickly became black so he retreated and within a couple of minutes it was a blazing inferno, banging and cracking,' she said. 'I could see the smoke from where I was walking and thought it was the grain lorry the farmer was loading. Then the farmer appeared. He'd driven out to find me and said: 'I am really sorry but your car is on fire.' 'It took the fire brigade about 20 minutes to get to us and they took another 15 to 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze, so the whole fire lasted about 40 minutes. All that was left was a pile of ash. The lead fire officer said to me: 'It will be an electrical fault. It is common with these.'' For Hart it was a terrifying experience, but it could have been so much worse. She explained: 'Thank goodness it hadn't happened 24 hours earlier as I had the horsebox on the back with two horses on board. And thank goodness I hadn't parked with the dogs in the car. The blaze did confirm to me that this car had an electrical gremlin.' The fire was the culmination of a series of electrical problems with her Range Rover. 'When the first fault developed, the vehicle shut down and I lost all power and steering. It came to a halt against a kerb on a roundabout. If I'd been travelling on a motorway or towing horses, the consequences would have been much worse. I questioned the suitability of the vehicle to be used for towing live animals.' Hart had bought the Range Rover in July 2023. In November that year, it went to Jaguar Land Rover to have a new alternator fitted in an effort to cure its problems. The car was off the road for 106 days, during which time JLR provided a Land Rover Defender courtesy car. She had a stressful back-and-forth experience with Land Rover customer service while waiting to get her car back – updates on the status of her vehicle were few and far between. 'No one would take ownership of the issue. The dealership I purchased the vehicle from disengaged as Land Rover Assist had sent the car to a different dealership when they recovered it. The dealership which had the vehicle for repair provided updates on a regular basis, but the updates were always that there was no update.' When Michala finally did get her beloved Range Rover back, it burst into flames only months later. Crucially, Michala's vehicle had a diesel engine. Electric car (EV) fires tend to make the news because of their intensity, but combustion cars that rely on burning petrol or diesel still account for about 99 per cent of car fires in the UK – in 2023, the London Assembly and Greater London Authority recorded 493 petrol cars and 138 diesels catching fire. At the same time, just seven EVs went up in flames. Following the fire, the investigator from Hart's insurer concluded: 'It is my opinion that the vehicle had an underlying electrical fault that was not diagnosed and caused the fire. The severed and heat-damaged cable suggests this occurred either close to or within the junction box.' A JLR spokesperson commented: 'Vehicle and client safety is our top priority, and our vehicles undergo stringent testing and are made with strict adherence to safety standards. While we recognise how difficult this experience must have been for the client, an investigation by JLR found the cause of the incident could not be established and the matter is now in the hands of the client's insurer.' At the time of writing, Hart has still not received a pay-out from her insurer. The experience was made even more disappointing because Hart had always aspired to own a Range Rover. 'Since I was a young girl growing up in a rural village and admiring Range Rovers, it was my dream car,' says Hart. 'I have been a Range Rover driver for 15 years and have always loved them. 'I tried a couple of times to leave the brand [she test drove models from Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen] but got stuck in. They are far and away the best luxury workhorse available. This was my seventh Range Rover. I tow horses on a regular basis, own three labradors and use the car for what I believed Range Rovers were built for: to be a highly functional yet luxury vehicle.' Despite her evident love of the brand, the experience has caused her to move away from it. She says: 'Given the history with the vehicle from four months after purchase, I had completely lost confidence in it, JLR and the network that is in place to support customers. 'I have heard of two or three that have had similar 'thermal events', as JLR refers to them. I will also be super nervous of driving any car that starts showing faults that cannot be identified or rectified, as happened to mine after the alternator repair. 'I deliberated over purchasing a [Land Rover] Defender. I was told they have a different wiring loom and configuration to the Range Rover, but I just couldn't bring myself to spend more money with JLR. I am now driving and towing with a Volkswagen Amarok. It is a compromise: it's a great truck. But it is a truck, not a luxury vehicle.'
Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
Five children in hospital after tree falls in Southend park
Five children have been taken to hospital after a tree fell in a park in Essex, resulting in a number of casualties, according to police. Officers, along with two air ambulances and the fire service, were called to Chalkwell Park, Southend, shortly before 3pm on Saturday. An East of England Ambulance Service spokesman said: 'Two children were transported by road to Southend University Hospital. A further three children were later transported by road to the same hospital with minor injuries.' People have been advised to stay away from the park. 'It looks really serious there' In an interview with Your Southend, an eyewitness said: 'A massive branch of the tree snapped off. It looks really serious there.' Another said: 'Police, fire brigade and paramedics are all at the scene. People are being advised to leave the park.' Rachel Wood, whose partner was in the park at the time of the incident, told the site: 'My partner and his friends rushed to help immediately when the tree fell, along with many others in the park. My thoughts and prayers are with the family and children involved. It's a really horrific incident.' A spokesman for Essex Police said: 'We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Chalkwell Park. Officers, alongside ambulance and fire service colleagues, are responding. 'We were alerted shortly before 3pm to reports of a tree falling in the park. There have been a number of casualties and our work is ongoing. We would please ask the public to avoid this area while this work continues. Updates will be issued as soon as possible.'
The Sun
6 days ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Shocking moment £50k EV EXPLODES sending flames billowing into sky destroying 2 cars parked nearby
THIS is the dramatic moment a £50,000 electric vehicle explodes into a huge fireball - destroying both cars next to it. The shocking footage shows the Mercedes EQA going up in flames in a matter of seconds while parked up in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. 5 It can be seen smoking for a few seconds before it spontaneously explodes in the quiet residential street. The explosion - which set a nearby shed ablaze and damaged part of the road - is believed to have been caused by a faulty battery. The blaze also destroyed two other nearby cars. James Musonda, who owns the courtesy car, was woken up by the loud bang, mistakenly thinking a tree had fallen on his house. The 33-year-old pensioner consultant told MailOnline that he was "hysterical" when he eventually realised it was his car and has vowed to steer clear of EVs. He said: "When I realised it was my car I was screaming and hysterical. "All I could see was flames when I opened the door. We couldn't get out the house because of the flames. "My daughter was in the house. I could have died if I was in that car." Mr Musonda continued to explain that the fire brigade managed to get them out, but it kept making little explosions. They were left very shaken up, and left keen to keep their distance from electric cars. Two seriously injured as 14 homes evacuated after huge explosion rips through SIX houses in Halifax Fire crews attended the scene until noon the following day, The Mercedes was recalled to the factory for "safety work" by the German manufacturer in October 2024. The father-of-one explained that Mercedes had the car until mid-January this year. The incident occurred six weeks after he got his car back. Mercedes told MailOnline that it was sorry to learn of the incident that took place in March. A spokesperson explained that the customer services team have been in contact with Mr Musonda and have kept him mobile in a courtesy car. In October last year, a similar incident occurred in Northamptonshire, when CCTV captured the terrifying moment an electric Mercedes went up in flames. The owner of the vehicle, Scott Bayliss said: "The pace and ferocity at which the fire took hold and engulfed the entire car and pretty much the entire front of our house was scary beyond belief. He also explained that the initial investigator concluded that the vehicle was in such a bad state that it was difficult to establish what the fault was. A Mercedes spokesperson said the company could not comment while the investigation was ongoing, but did stress that the company had reached out to the family. A 70,000 Alfa Romeo was also caught bursting into flames in a Birmingham shopping centre carpark last December. The terrifying moment saw emergency crews rush to the fourth floor of Selfridges Moor Street to put out the blaze, which managed to destroy one other car. In an update, a fire service spokesman reported: "Faulty engine from a petrol powered car caused this fire. An incident recently occurred in Bournemouth too, which saw a 27-year-old woman narrowly escape the flames. The vehicle suddenly erupted into flames while the driver was dropping off her fiance. The driver who was inside the car told the news site "it just started smoking and I got out of the car, then it caught fire". 5 5
The Independent
25-06-2025
- The Independent
Greece arrests woman suspected of fuelling devastating wildfire with cigarette
Greece has arrested a Georgian woman suspected of discarding a cigarette that helped trigger one of several wildfires razing land and threatening homes on the island of Chios. Blazes broke out on Chios in the Aegean Sea on Sunday and tore through 10,000 acres of mainly bush and pasture land in three days, Greece's climate crisis and civil protection ministry said on Wednesday. The ongoing flames also caused significant disruption, including power outages, water shortages, and damage to property. The fire brigade said a woman was arrested on Tuesday night and that authorities were still investigating the cause of the fires. The Georgian was charged with unintentional arson, two fire brigade officials told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Witnesses saw her drop a cigarette, one of the officials said. Though the wildfires were largely contained by Wednesday, hundreds of firefighters remained on Chios to prevent rekindling and bring all fronts under control, the Greek fire brigade said. On Tuesday, residents of a seaside village in the south west of the island were ordered to leave as white smoke rose over a nearby beach. Greece's minister of climate crisis and civil protection, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, arrived on the island on Monday. He said: 'The situation on the island since yesterday has been quite difficult because we constantly have new fronts and resurgences and the climatic conditions are not favourable. 'We are faced with simultaneous fires in multiple, geographically unconnected parts of the island — a pattern that cannot be considered coincidental.' The minister said police forces on the island had been reinforced, while military patrols had been doubled. At Europe 's southernmost tip, Greece is often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers, but authorities say the fast-changing climate is fuelling more destructive blazes. The Greek government has paid hundreds of millions of euros in damages related to extreme weather to households and farmers, and to update firefighting equipment. It has upped firefighter numbers to a record 18,000 this year in anticipation of a challenging fire season. They will be assisted by 294 firefighters from five European countries from July 1 to September 15.
Reuters
24-06-2025
- Climate
- Reuters
Hundreds of firefighters battle wildfires on Greece's Chios island for third day
ATHENS, June 24 (Reuters) - Hundreds of firefighters were battling to contain wildfires at different locations on the Greek island of Chios for a third day on Tuesday after the island declared a state of emergency. Some 444 firefighters assisted by eight aircraft have been deployed to the island in the northeastern Aegean Sea to tackle the fires that have torn through swathes of forest and agricultural land and forced hundreds of villagers to evacuate in recent days. Chios is in the midst of the tourist season and authorities also want to prevent the fires reaching areas famous for producing mastiha, a natural resin harvested from mastic trees. Authorities issued a new alert on Tuesday, advising residents of a seaside village southwest of Chios town, the island's capital, to leave as white smoke rose over a nearby beach. Livestream from Greece's public broadcaster showed a helicopter spraying water over the area. "A lot of work is still needed to bring the wildfires under control," a Greek fire brigade official who requested anonymity told Reuters. Northerly winds were complicating firefighting efforts, they added. Greece, Europe's southernmost tip, is often hit by wildfires during its hot and dry summers but authorities have blamed a fast-changing climate for fuelling more destructive blazes in recent years. Athens has paid out hundreds of millions of euros in damages related to extreme weather to households and farmers and to update firefighting equipment. It has a record 18,000 firefighters this year in anticipation of a challenging fire season.
