M4 car fire: Blaze near Swindon spread to motorway hedge

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service was called to the M4 between Membury Services and Junction 15 (Swindon) just before 12.30pm on Friday, August 8, following reports of a car on fire. The entire westbound carriageway was brought to a halt between Newbury and Swindon. Drivers travelling eastbound in the other direction were also held at standstill as emergency vehicles rushed to the scene.

AA Traffic[1] monitors reported "severe delays" of over an hour, and National Highway traffic cameras showed chaos on the roads. Swindon firefighters at the scene (Image: National Highways) In a new update, the fire service has now confirmed that the blaze spread quickly to a nearby hedgerow before the firefighters could arrive, causing safety concerns for all drivers. A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service told the Swindon Advertiser[2]: "Two crews attended, from Swindon and Stratton, and found the fire had also spread to approximately 25m x 5m of adjacent hedgerow.

The motorway was brought to a sudden stop (Image: National Highways) "Three hose reel jets, two breathing apparatus wearers and beaters were used to extinguish the fires."

The blaze was put out at 1.22pm on Friday, almost an hour after the alarm was first raised.

It's not yet known if the occupants of the car which caught fire have suffered any serious injuries.

References

1. ^ Traffic (www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk)
2. ^ Swindon Advertiser (www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk)