A CHARD garage was damaged after a car exploded at its premises in the early hours of the morning.

A Ford Fiesta dropped into Chard Ford burst into flames because of a suspected electrical fault last Wednesday.

Chard Town Council street cleaners Neil Richards and Gary Waddon ran round to see if they could help.

Neil said: “We saw smoke rising above the house roofs and drove round with our truck to see the car on fire.

“We were the second ones on the scene – a resident had already called the emergency services.

“I was relieved to see nobody was hurt. It could have been a lot worse, but the fire brigade got there quickly and put it out within minutes.”

The garage suffered a damaged sign, melted Tarmac and melted windows, and the car was written off.

Garage supervisor Luke Lawrence said: “It looks a mess at the moment, but hopefully we can get it sorted out as soon as possible.

“The owner was a bit upset that their car caught fire after they brought it in after a minor accident, but they’re fully aware that it was a freak electrical fault and nothing could have been done to prevent it.”

A spokesman for the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said they were called at 6.41am and two fire engines attended the scene.

There were concerns over potentially flammable containers in the building, but the fire did not spread that far.

He confirmed that the fire was caused by a suspected electrical fault.