DRAMATIC footage shows the moment a car was engulfed by flames – on a petrol station forecourt.
The driver of the red BMW pulled her car into a petrol station in East Market Gate, Dundee, when the engine warning lights came on.
She exited the vehicle just before it burst into flames and a fire raged around the bonnet and front wheels.
It was parked just metres from pipes connecting to underground tanks containing thousands of litres of fuel.
Station employees quickly switched off the fuel lines and diverted traffic and passers-by from a nearby swimming pool.
Surprisingly, onlookers stood and watched the blaze from the forecourt of the Shell Discovery station, despite the risk that the car – and even the station – could explode.
The video shows pedestrians looking and pointing at the car from just around the corner, as firefighters raced to the scene.
Onlookers can be heard saying “We’re lucky it’s not exploded yet” as the emergency services tackled the blaze.
Billows of smoke engulf the station as a fireman hosed down the fire, and one man even manages to retrieve the driver’s handbag from the passengers seat.
A gaping hole can be seen in the car’s bonnet as the smoke clears, though the hazard lights continues to flash.
Station supervisor Angie Clark has said she feared the blazing car was going to explode while people looked on.
She said: “That was going through my head. It felt like a lifetime but it was just minutes.
“The woman parked the car next to the vapour release system. the next thing I knew, the car was on fire.
“I ran to get people off the forecourt and the other girl hit the emergency system to switch it all off.
“My first thought was whether there were kids in the car. I asked if there was anyone else in the car and the woman said no.
“I told her to calm down. I said ‘It’s just a bit of metal, it can be replaced’.
“If there had been a kid or older person in the car I would have tried to get them out.”
The garage was sealed off during the fire on Friday, while one lane was closed on East Market Gate to allow emergency services access.
The video was recorded by Iain Duncan, 30, from Fife, who was just leaving the Olympia Swimming Pool across the road at the time.
He said: “I think the car was beginning to smoke when it came into the station. Workers used a fire extinguisher but it didn’t do anything, and then it burst into flames.
“Luckily there were enough safety features in place to make sure no-one was hurt. Though my partner’s son did think it was going to blow up.”
A spokesman for Scottish Fire and Rescue said: “We received the call of a car on fire at 1.10pm at Shell Discovery.
“Two appliances, one from Blackness Road and one from Balmossie, were sent to the scene.
“There was a fire in the engine compartment of the car and crews used hose reels and breathing apparatus to extinguish the flames.
“The fire was dampened down at 1.29pm and members of the crew checked under the bonnet to unsure it was completely out.”
