A hybrid car was burnt out in a fire on a property in Gisborne on Thursday. The owners pushed the vehicle away from their home to stop it catching fire as well.
A hybrid car was burnt out in a fire on a property in Gisborne on Thursday. The owners pushed the vehicle away from their home to stop it catching fire as well.
A Gisborne family had a frightening situation to deal with when they discovered smoke pouring from their hybrid car parked at their home.
The Toyota Prius was parked on a property in Halley Street in Kaiti about midday on Thursday.
“The owners spotted smoke coming from the windows andthrough the vents, and when they went to investigate, they realised the car was on fire,” Tairawhiti Fire and Emergency said on social media.
“The whānau acted quickly and managed to push the vehicle away from the house before flames took hold.”
The fire took about two hours to extinguish as the hybrid’s batteries kept reigniting.
A senior firefighter said it was the first fire of its kind in Tairāwhiti.
“Thankfully no one was injured and the fire did not spread to the nearby home. But it could have ended very differently,” he said.
The vehicle was destroyed in the fire.
The senior firefighter said while the exact cause of the fire could not be confirmed, the incident was a reminder that fires could occur in all types of vehicles, including hybrids and electric cars.
