Alan Mutton Helps Stop 1979 Pontiac Firebird Fire Oxfordshire Blaze

A 1979 Pontiac Firebird fire oxfordshire broke out at a Tesco petrol station in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, shortly after the car was refuelled on Saturday. Alan Mutton from Kennington said he and the owner were still on the forecourt when flames erupted from beneath the car.

Mutton said the fire was tackled first by him, the owner and other members of the public, using multiple fire extinguishers. The flames kept reigniting before the last extinguisher was used, and no injuries were reported.

Alan Mutton at Tesco

Mutton described seeing the car arrive before the fire started: “As I was filling up my car, this chap arrives in this big American heavy Trans Am, so we got out, had a look at it and took some photographs,” he said. “It’s not something you see often and it was obviously this guy’s pride and joy, so he was pleased to show us.”

He said the moment changed quickly. “I looked across and the flames erupted,” he said. “I could feel the blasts of the heat from the flames.” He then moved his own vehicle away from the forecourt, grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran back to help put out the blaze.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

The fire was brought under control before firefighters from Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service arrived. The cause has not been confirmed. The Pontiac Firebird was described as a rare American muscle car and the owner’s pride and joy, and the model was never officially sold in the UK.

The most important point for anyone at the forecourt was the speed of the response. Mutton said, “We emptied every extinguisher that we had we could see and luckily, by the last one, the flames had thankfully gone out because they kept reigniting,” which left the car contained before the fire service reached the station.