UPDATE: Ford Figo burns at Mediclinic Nelspruit

MBOMBELA – Locals travelling along the R40 on Wednesday morning, watched in horror as flames burst from a Ford Figo parked in Mediclinic Nelspruit’s parking lot.

This was just two days after Ford South Africa recalled 1.6-litre Kuga models made between December 2012 and February 2014. Forty-nine Kugas have reportedly burst into flames in South Africa – 13 this year alone.

“However,  as far as I know the Figo catching fire was an isolated incident,” said local dealer principal, Mr Stephan Venter.

This was the second crisis to hit the vehicle’s owner that morning. He had rushed to hospital with his wife. As he pulled into a parking space after dropping his wife at the emergency room, he noticed smoke was coming from his car.

According to Mediclinic spokesman Ms Robyn Baard, the man was able to alight from his vehicle before it set ablaze. He avoided injury, but had to watch helplessly as his black Figo was engulfed by flames.

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A source, who wants to remain anonymous, saw the smoke and flames from the R40. “I called the incident in on the Zello channel and the fire brigade was sent.”

Mr Gordon Mlambo, the brigade’s control-room operator, said the emergency was reported there at 06:25.

“Our guys were there. They confirmed that the situation was under control,” Mlambo said. “By 07:18 they were back at the office.”

Lowvelder has photos taken at that time. It appears to have burned out. Baard said the incident was not a medical one and that she could not comment extensively. She could not confirm the identity of the vehicle’s owner. She confirmed that the car seemed to have burned to its frame rapidly.

“I recall hearing a loud explosion-like sound shortly after the fire started,” she said.

According to Venter, Ford has been trying to get hold of the Figo’s owner, but without success. “We have contacted the client through Baard as policy prohibited her from handing out his details. We requested him to contact us, but he has not done so yet,” he said on Wednesday afternoon. Venter directed the paper to the national spokesman for Ford, Ms Alisea Chetty.

At the time of going to press, she had not yet responded to media queries. According to Venter, the cause of the blaze would be investigated.

“There are many factors we must take into account; for example – what was the condition of the vehicle and has it been fitted with any accessories? We cannot speculate as to what had caused it, but we do take it very seriously,” Venter said.

He distinguished this case from the cases where Kugas went up in flames.