Petrol bomb blows up car on Wigan estate

Unsuspecting families living in Princess Avenue in Ashton saw flames rising up to 20ft high coming from a car which had been torched.

The blaze, which was fought by Wigan firefighters, was started deliberately after someone set a petrol can alight underneath the vehicle.

A couple living on the cul-de-sac were “dozing off” when they heard a bang, followed by an even louder explosion.

One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, told the Post: “Me and my wife came in at about 11.30pm. When we got out of the car she could smell burning but we didn’t notice anything else. About 12.15am we heard a dull bang and then following that there was a large explosion.

“When I went to the landing the room was lit up. There were flames about 15 to 20 feet high. We were just dozing off when we heard the bangs, we thought someone might be trying to break in.”

One by one Princess Avenue residents piled into the street to witness the blaze spread to nearby fences and melt wheelie bins. It had caught fire to a number of rubbish bags nearby and melted items surrounding the car.

One fire engine attended the scene, and the crews stayed for around an hour making sure that there was no chance of the fire relighting in the rubble.

They confirmed that it is believed to be an act of arson and police have been informed.

This is not the first time the avenue has seen a torched car. A few years ago another resident’s car was dragged down the street and set alight at the bottom of the road.