Shocked family members have expressed their anger and fear after they woke to find a car on their driveway had been torched by arsonists and was threatening to spread to their home. Those responsible were caught on CCTV pouring petrol over the car parked outside the home in Portman Road, off Wheelers Road, Birmingham, in the early hours of Wednesday, June 3.
Quick Action Prevents Disaster
Only quick thinking by family members prevented the blaze from spreading to a second car and the home, where people were sleeping. It is feared that those responsible deliberately targeted the family, who are well known in political circles and have recently been involved in local and national election campaigns. At their request, we are not identifying the victims.
But they told BirminghamLive that the incident had left them shocked and anxious. "It has been an extremely distressing experience. We are grateful that no one has been hurt. The fire service responded quickly to prevent the flames from spreading to the house where family members had been sleeping. There is a police investigation, and we hope the perpetrators will be identified quickly," said a family member.
CCTV Captures Arson Attack
He said he had been alerted by the noise and light from the flames and rushed outside to see the car alight. He grabbed a garden hosepipe to spray water on the flames to try to stop them from spreading to the fuel tank and further heating up the hybrid electric battery, amid fears of an explosion. "It could have been much worse," he added.
In CCTV footage, two figures are seen, one of them pouring fluid, thought to be petrol, over the roof of the car before setting it on fire. The other seems to be filming the incident. Footage also shows the flames alight from across the road, with neighbors awoken by the commotion. Fire crews are then seen arriving and putting out the fire. The car was destroyed.
Unrelated Incident in Bordesley Green
In an as yet unrelated incident, the cars and house windows of a grandfather, a community activist in the city, were smashed up in a targeted attack. Thugs smashed the glass in a terrifying early morning attack in Botha Road, Bordesley Green, in the early hours of Sunday, May 24.
Fire Service Response
West Midlands Fire Service said: "Shortly after 1.20 am on Wednesday 3 June, we responded to reports of fire on Portman Road, Birmingham. Two fire engines and a brigade response vehicle attended, crewed by firefighters from Highgate and Kings Norton fire stations. Crews arrived to find a car on fire on a driveway. It had spread to a nearby hedge. Two firefighters wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the fire using a hose reel. We then continued to monitor the temperature of the vehicle, before leaving the incident with the police just before 2.30 am. Fortunately, no one was hurt."
We have contacted West Midlands Police for comment.
