A family car went up in flames in front of horrified shoppers as temperatures soared to 30C this week.
Footage showed a black Vauxhall Insignia being engulfed by an engine blaze in Bournebrook, Birmingham, at 5.45pm on Monday.
The fire then spread to fencing and damaged vehicles parked nearby.
Two fire engines and a fire response vehicle attended the scene. Eyewitness Harry Higgs was driving past when the motor exploded.
‘I noticed black smoke just up ahead and as we got closer, we saw a car on fire in the car park,’ he said.
‘People were standing around as emergency services sirens could be heard on their way.
‘The fencing nearby had caught fire too and the car went bang.
This is the alarming moment a family car went up in flames as shoppers watched in horror
Footage shows a black Vauxhall Insignia being engulfed by an engine blaze in Bournebrook, Birmingham, at 5:45pm on Monday
Pictured: A GV of Bristol Road in Birmingham, showing the car park on the left where the Vauxhall Insignia caught fire
‘Thankfully the fire and police arrived and the fire was quickly put out.’
A spokesperson for West Midlands Fire Service said the fire was believed to have started in the vehicle’s engine.
They added that crews arrived within minutes of the call.
An amber heat alert was issued this week covering the East Midlands, West Midlands, East of England, London, and the South East.
Temperatures were forecast to rise above 30C in some areas, possibly even soaring past 35C.
It comes as Britain’s fourth heatwave of summer began today and could last for a week as temperatures of 34C (93F) make the country hotter than Ibiza – as UK health authorities warn of a rise in deaths.
Beaches and parks were packed as central and southern England got above 30C (86F) today because of a combination of high pressure and a southerly airflow.
But a Government amber heat health alert was imposed and forecasters warned of a risk of isolated thunderstorms and infrequent outbreaks of rain during the hot spell.
South coast resorts were particularly busy today, with TomTom roads congestion data giving a peak in Brighton of 47 per cent at 11am, compared to the usual 25 per cent; and in Bournemouth of 36 per cent at 12pm, also well above the normal 25 per cent.
Warm nights are also thought to be likely in South East England with a chance of a ‘tropical night’ tonight, where temperatures do not drop below 20C (68F) overnight.
The UK is additionally on alert for wildfires after a major incident in Dorset where 100 firefighters battled a blaze that ravaged hundreds of acres of land at the weekend.
Crews battling the blaze at Holt Heath near Wimborne captured a rare ‘dust devil’ on camera – a whirlwind of dirt which normally occurs in the desert or other arid areas.
The upward spiralling vortex of air is created where dry ground and high surface temperatures create strong updrafts.
It looks like a mini tornado but is not as strong and normally lasts a few minutes before cool air is sucked in and cuts off heat supply.
