A car has caught fire in the car park of Tesco in Freshwater this afternoon (Thursday), causing plumes of thick black smoke to be seen for miles around.
At around 13:00, Island Echo received reports of a car ‘exploding’ in the West Wight village, where firefighters from Freshwater Fire Station soon arrived to tackle the blaze.
The situation is under control in the rear of the car park with 3 firefighters, wearing breathing apparatus and armed with a hose reel jet pulling water from a nearby hydrant.
Half of the supermarket’s car park has been cordoned off, with some shoppers unable to move their cars in time for the closure, leaving them stuck.
The vehicle, which remains smouldering, has suffered extensive fire damage, with only a burnt carcass remaining.
Although the exact cause of the incident is still unknown, it appears to have developed in the front end of the vehicle
Throughout the incident, the store has remained open.
No injuries are thought to have been sustained.
The blaze comes as Britain faces the highest recorded temperatures in its history with parts of the Island reaching 39.3°C yesterday as reported by Island Echo.
More information regarding local heat and helath updates can be found on our live blog here.
UPDATE @14:21 – An official statement by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service said:
“Firefighters were called shortly before 1pm this afternoon following reports of a vehicle fire in a car park off Afton Road, Freshwater.
“Crews arrived on scene and used a hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.”
Crews returned to the station at approximatley 14:00 after they carried out checks to ensure the area was safe.
