Second Ford Figo goes up in flames

MBOMBELA – According to eyewitness Ms Sarah Venn, she parked her car next to the unoccupied dark-coloured Figo.

“My daughter and I stayed in the car and while she was playing with the car window I could smell (something) weird, like rubber burning. The next thing there were flames next to us,” Venn told Lowvelder.

The owner had not locked his car and Venn’s partner, friend and other bystanders were able to extinguish the fire. Manager of TOPS at SPAR, Mr Thomas Smith, said he was called from the store to help.

Also see: Ford Figo catches fire in parking lot

I grabbed a fire extinguisher and ran to the car. I was told that the owner had left it idling but when I arrived, the engine was off and there were flames coming from the bonnet.

It seems as if the padding underneath the vehicle caught fire because it was so hot. At least we managed to save the car,” Smith said.

Venn confirmed the car’s engine was definitely off. Smith added that he did not know the name of the vehicle’s owner but that it had been removed from the parking lot on the same day.

Also read: Ford Figo burns at Mediclinic Nelspruit

Mr Stephan Venter, dealer principal for Ford Nelspruit, said Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa had been informed of the incident.

We are in the process of locating the owner and will need to examine the vehicle before we can provide any further information,” he said.

Venter confirmed yesterday morning that he had been in contact with a family member of the owner of the Ford Figo, but was still to hear any feedback.

In January locals travelling along the R40, watched as flames burst from a Ford Figo parked in Mediclinic Nelspruit’s parking lot. This came just days after Ford South Africa recalled 1,6-litre Kuga models made between December 2012 and February 2014, due to some reportedly bursting into flames.