Dad sees taxi on fire and calls 999 - before finding out daughter was inside it

03 January 2023 , 15:19

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Kevin Pollard spotted the burning taxi on his way home (Image: Kevin Pollard)

A dad called 999 after seeing taxi on fire before finding out his daughter was INSIDE the burning vehicle.

Kevin Pollard left work at just after 6am today and was walking home before spotting the blaze. Flames and smoke were quickly rising.

He then rang his daughter, who had to get to work earlier than normal, to advise her to avoid the route.

However, to his shock she told him she had already left and had actually been in the burning taxi itself.

The driver had pulled over when the bonnet started smoking.

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Kevin's daughter had then got out and gone to get a bus instead.

Kevin called his daughter to tell her to avoid the route to work (Kevin Pollard)

The dad was shocked to find his daughter had fled the taxi (Kevin Pollard)

He told YorkshireLive : "The whole front of the car was on fire. It was getting worse by the second."

Kevin spoke to the driver, who was thankfully unharmed, and had called West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Kevin also called 999 to request the fire brigade come down to the scene, in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Kevin called 999 (stock image) (Runcorn Weekly News)

He added: "After that, I rang my daughter who I knew had to get to work early today to advise her to avoid going this way. And she told me she'd already left and had actually been in the taxi.

"Apparently the bonnet had started smoking, so the driver had pulled over to open it, and it had caught fire.

"So my daughter had to get out and got the bus to work instead."

Kevin stayed with the taxi driver until the fire brigade arrived, and were able to put out the blaze.

"The whole car had gone up by that point," he said. "Luckily it didn't explode or anything.

"My daughter seems alright. It's the last thing you expect when you're going to work in the morning - she was setting off particularly early because of the train strikes so she needs to get a bus into Leeds.

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"It was her first day back after Christmas."

The Mirror has contacted West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service for comment.

Jasmine Norden