Hot wheels! Quick-thinking garage owner stops his workshop going up in flames when car catches fire while being welded
- Abid Hussain was working on a car at his garage in Bradford, West Yorkshire
- One of his employees was welding a Honda Jazz to prepare it for its MOT
- While being welded, the interior of the car caught fire threatening the workshop
A garage owner saved his business from being burned to the ground after he spotted a car being welded in his workshop catching fire.
Abid Hussain, 49, who owns Buck Street Motors in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was working on another car when he could smell burning.
He looked up to see a mechanic welding an inner sill on a Honda Jazz in preparation for the MOT. The mechanic had not noticed the sparks from his welder had ignited the car’s carpet and were threatening to engulf the entire vehicle.
The mechanic, pictured, was Mig welding underneath a Honda Jazz, completely unaware that the interior of the car had caught fire after spark ignited the vehicle’s carpets
Quick-thinking Abid Hussain, 49, who owns Buck Street Motors in Bradford, West Yorkshire, rushed to the car carrying a fire extinguisher to douse the flames before the Honda exploded
CCTV cameras covering the garage showed how the blaze quickly caught hold of the interior of the small car.
Mr Hussain believes if he had not spotted the danger the car may have exploded.
Despite the damage, the garage completely refitted the interior and gave it a new paint job within 24 hours of the fire.
Mr Hussain said: ‘In my 19 years’ of business it is the first time this has ever happened. We do welding all the times, but it was just one of those things.’
The mechanic was using a Mig welder to replace rotten metal on the car’s sill so it would be able to pass the MOT.
The car was up on the garage’s lift to provide easier access for the mechanic. However, he was unable to see the sparks jumping around in the footwell of the car which then caught fire.
Mr Hussain said: ‘The carpet has caught light, the guy working on it can’t see a thing, and then the fire has spread to upholstery, the door panels, the roof lining, the seat belts, the lot.’
As the car is consumed by flames and his staff flee the area, Mr Hussain grabs his CO2 extinguisher and blasts the fire.
He said: ‘I think it could well have blown up in another 30 seconds if I’d not put out the fire.
‘People have said I must have balls of steel to run towards the car and put it out. The workers ran away, the it was my business at risk.’
The owner was told the car he been damaged and Mr Hussain promised to have it good as new by the next day.
‘When we told the owner, the first thing he said was ‘f*** the car, are you lot alright?’, said Mr Hussain.
The Honda is fully repaired and has now passed its MOT.
Mechanic Saqib Kamran, 34, said: ‘Watching the CCTV back we can see the danger we were in. Thankfully nobody was injured and no lasting damage was done.’
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