An Angus dad has spoken of the dramatic moment he fled from his burning car with seconds to spare.
Alan Fraser’s seven-seat 2006 Vauxhall Zafira spontaneously exploded in Carnoustie on Saturday.
The dad of four from Monifieth said there would have been a tragedy if his children aged eight weeks, 17 months, 5 and 8 had been in the car at the time.
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus tackled the afternoon blaze in Burnside Street but could not prevent the vehicle being left a burnt-out shell.
Mr Fraser’s car was the latest victim of a problem affecting the Vauxhall Zafira that has led to models being recalled.
He was informed of the safety recall in November in a letter which explained “how they can remain safe pending inspection”.
The manufacturer advised drivers to only use heater fan speed 4 “sparingly” in short bursts and to de-mist.
Mr Fraser said: “If the children had been in the car it would have been a tragedy. There’s no way I would have been able to get them all out in time.
“It happened on the anniversary of my brother’s death. He died 21 years ago at the age of 19 and I’m convinced he was looking out for me.”
Mr Fraser said he only used the fan in fits and bursts as he drove to his mum’s house in Carnoustie six miles away.
After stopping at her house, he noticed a problem when he started driving again.
“I could smell smoke and the windows started to mist up,” he said. “I gave a blast of the heating fan to clear them but the smoke got worse.
“I quickly parked up and by that time smoke was just pouring out of the car. When I looked back it was well alight.”
Mr Fraser’s partner, Lauren Clark, added: “Is it going to take a child’s death for Vauxhall to sit up and take notice?”
Rory Harvey, chairman of Vauxhall Motors, said: “Safety is our priority and we have been working tirelessly in the past weeks to find the root cause and contact owners to explain the situation and our actions.
“The important thing now is to ensure that all Zafira B owners bring their vehicles in for inspection and rework.”