Hearse bursts into flames on way to funeral – but coffin is pulled out just in time
Shocking new pictures show the moment a hearse caught fire on its way to a funeral[1].
The black Mercedes[2] was on the procession in Church[3] Stretton, Shropshire[4], when it burst into flames at 1.20pm on Monday. Thankfully, the coffin was pulled out of the vehicle just in time before it was damaged beyond repair.
Images from the aftermath show the hearse completely burnt-out by the blaze, though no one was injured in the incident and the coffin was left undamaged. Firefighters from nearby Church Stretton and Craven Arms raced to the scene following reports of the fire[5] as shocked members of the public looked on, reports Birmingham Live[6].
Firefighters raced to the scene following news of the blaze, and no injuries were reported (
Church Stretton Fire Station/SWNS)
A spokesperson from Church Stretton Fire Station said: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the family which would have been a sad enough day as it is without this additional sad news. Church Stretton Station attending a vehicle fire today which involved a hearse carrying a coffin to a funeral.
"Staff and public managed to get the coffin out of the vehicle before that became involved, so well done to everyone there." In similar scenes in Ireland last week, the driver of a hearse which caught fire on a motorway dashed to remove the coffin from danger[7].
Pictures of the casket were shared on social media in the aftermath of the blaze, which is said to have happened after the hearse suffered a suspected fault on the M8 motorway near Fermoy in Cork, Ireland on Tuesday evening. Firefighters were called to bring the blaze under control, by which time the driver had rescued the coffin.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected][8]
References
- ^ funeral (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Mercedes (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Church (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Shropshire (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ fire (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ Birmingham Live (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
- ^ driver of a hearse which caught fire on a motorway dashed to remove the coffin from danger (www.mirror.co.uk)
- ^ [email protected] (www.mirror.co.uk)