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- A Mercedes-Benz sports car was engulfed in flames after the owner revved the car’s engine for several minutes in Cape Town.
- The car is worth about 3 million rand.
- The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to a Mercedes-Benz spokesperson.
A Mercedes-Benz AGM GT 63S, valued at nearly R3m, burst into flames after the owner revved the engine for several minutes in Cape Town late Sunday, November 1.
“Mercedes-Benz South Africa is aware of the incident. We are investigating the matter regarding its cause. We would not like to comment on our clients’ finances or insurance arrangements,” company spokesman Thato Mntambo told News24.
The City Fire and Rescue Service was informed of the incident at 00:04 on Monday.
“[The] Roeland Street Fire Station Equipment [was] sent to the incident. Upon arrival, the vehicle was found to be properly lit and the fire was extinguished at 00:47. There were no injuries and the vehicle and its contents were seriously damaged, “said spokesman Jermaine Carelse.
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Lubabalo Mangcunyana, a waiter and bartender at a local restaurant, said he was on his way to the taxi rank on the way home when he found the vehicle on fire.
“Everyone was outside because the clubs and restaurants had closed. Everyone was yelling and recording videos. Some people were trying to help. Some came with fire extinguishers. Four tanks were finished and the fire was still burning,” he told News24.
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He said it was scary because they couldn’t tell if the driver had managed to get out of the vehicle in time.
“I was so nervous and didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know where the emergency locations were,” he said.
“I thought it was going to explode. The engine was still running and it was just exploding, exploding, exploding.”
According to Mangcunyana, once emergency services officials arrived, the crowd was asked to disperse and he went home.
Western Cape Police spokesman Colonel Andrè Traut said police were aware of the incident but added that a case file had not been opened and the matter was not being investigated.
