The driver of a VW Polo was lucky to escape unhurt after his car caught fire while driving on the N12 westbound next to the Jet Park off-ramp on July 23.
The incident left the car destroyed, with the charred bodywork of the vehicle becoming a chalky grey.
Onlookers on the scene told the City Times that the driver was reportedly seen hastily pulling off into the emergency lane and exiting the car, which was shrouded in a cloud of smoke.
The car subsequently burst into flames, forcing police to soon afterwards close part of the westbound motorway for about an hour.
Traffic came to a standstill, also resulting in traffic congestion on the southbound exit as some motorists tried to avoid the scene shortly after the incident happened.
According to DEMS spokesperson William Ntladi, the fire prompted a combined response from the Primrose and Albertina Sisulu Corridor fire stations, after they received the call at about 13:30.
“Crews arrived in two fire engines to find the Polo in the emergency lane and already engulfed in flames. Firefighters were quick to extinguish the blaze, but it took a bit longer to cool the entire wreckage.
“The driver of the vehicle escaped without injuries and one lane was temporarily closed for safety reasons,” explained Ntladi.
The cause of the fire is still to be determined and the scene was handed over to the EMPD for further investigations.
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