Well-known local singer’s car catches fire on her way to a show
"My first instinct was to tell the guys to take the equipment from the boot before it could explode."
The News recently reported that a Land Rover caught fire on the N14 on Saturday, 19 August at about 8pm.
The News has now learned that Priscilla Smith, a well-known singer, was the driver of the vehicle.
“We were on our way to a show in Ruimsig. I was going to sing and all my sound equipment was in the back of the Land Rover,” said Smith.
They were heading downhill towards Sasol Pinehaven when all of the dashboard lights in their second-hand Land Rover, which they had only had for about three months, went on simultaneously and the vehicle’s ignition shut off.
“We basically free-wheeled all the way down the hill to the garage. We saw smoke coming from the bonnet, but we didn’t see any flames. When we came to a standstill, people hooted, opened their windows and yelled, ‘Get out – the car is on fire’.”
Read the initial article here: Land Rover catches fire while driving on N14
When Priscilla and her husband got out, they saw flames coming from under the vehicle, and immediately thought it was going to blow up.
Photo: submitted
“My first instinct was to tell the guys to take the equipment out of the back. But, luckily there were a few guys at the garage who helped us extinguish the flames before the car could explode.”
Her equipment was safe, but now another challenge surfaced – Priscilla needed to get to her show and was running late.
One of the men at the garage offered to take her to the Berlin Pub, where she was scheduled to perform – and got her there in time.
“It didn’t bother me during the show, but afterwards the shock set in. When I finally had time to think about what could have happened, I started to cry. I cried most of Sunday.”
Priscilla said she believed the people who assisted them at the garage came out of nowhere and were truly sent from above.
“We didn’t even know them, but I will never forget their kindness. Even those who warned us about the flames at the robot, saved our lives. And those who used their own fire extinguishers made sure no-one got hurt.”
Not a single person sustained any sort of injury in the fire.
After the incident, Priscilla said she doesn’t believe any vehicle is really safe.
“I mean, it’s a bunch of wires, petrol and other flammable things and it only takes one malfunction and it could blow up. When something like this happens, you just grab what you can and run.”
Their insurance company has written the Land Rover off and they are looking for another vehicle to buy.
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