Durban - A Sydenham pastor is counting his blessings after he and a fellow church member escaped unscathed minutes after his car burst into flames.
Pastor Daniel Asante of the Liberty Charismatic Ministries in Sydenham said he and a church member had fetched his car – a 2006 Kia Sorento – from his mechanic’s home on Sunday night.
The mechanic had repaired a mechanical problem.
“The mechanic got into the car with us to check that everything was running okay. But, as I started the car, I saw the petrol light come on. The car had no fuel at all,” he said.
He said the car stalled about 300m from the mechanic’s home in Barns Road, Sherwood.
“The mechanic then got into another car and went to buy petrol.”
He said the car was refuelled a short while later.
“As I started the car, it caught alight. I did not notice it at first.
“The mechanic who was standing outside the car tried to alert us. But, we did not hear him as the windows were closed.”
Asante said eventually the mechanic had caught their attention and by that time, they had realised that something was wrong with the car.
“It was jerking and the doors were locked. Fortunately, we were able to unlock the doors and escape.”
He said they alerted the police who then called the fire department.
“What surprised me was that this happened in a residential area and people could have helped with buckets of water to put the fire out, but instead they were taking pictures and videos of my burning car,” he said with a chuckle.
Asante said his car was not insured. But he was trusting God to provide him with a new one. - Daily News