Lucky escape for Elgin man as car burst into flames

Car inexplicably caught fire on the A96 (pic: Facebook/Scott Gill)
Car inexplicably caught fire on the A96 (pic: Facebook/Scott Gill)

A MORAY MAN had a fortunate escape when his car became engulfed in flames just outside Elgin on Sunday evening.

Police and fire crews were alerted to the incident on the A96 close to the Alves railway bridge when a dark-blue Renault caught alight as it was being driven along the busy Elgin to Forres road.

Driver Scott Gill, 27, a Moray Council landscape gardener from Elgin, admitted he was lucky to escape unharmed after his car had simply ‘blew up’ for no apparent reason.

A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the vehicle was well alight by the time they arrived at the scene, while a Police Scotland spokesman added: “The fire service alerted us to the fact that there was a car on fire on the A96 – but we could not comment on if it exploded or not.

“There were no injuries reported and we simply attended to assist with traffic management.”

No other person was involved in the incident and the burned out vehicle was removed by around 7.30pm on Sunday evening.