AN empty shell is all that remains of a Subaru Forester station wagon that was stolen from Kent Road, Hamilton, in the early hours of Monday morning, and then torched.
Police and fire services were called to the incident near the Spurrell Drive entrance to Island Park, just after 4am Monday.
“We were called around 4.15am after (witnesses) reported five explosions and saw the fire,” Hamilton Police sergeant, Simon Bourke said.
“It was fully engulfed when CFA attended and appears to have been deliberately lit … it appears the vehicle was stolen from Hamilton (Monday), a Kent Road address.”
Brian Shepherd lives around 50 metres from where the fire took place and said the noise from the incident woke him.
“I heard like … a horn going first, that was going for about two minutes and first I thought it was a car up the road here, the other way,” he said.
“And then I heard all the banging, all the explosions, realised something was going on and then I came out and saw the fire and it was really going.”
He said a local truck driver, who also lives in the immediate area, arrived on scene around the same time and phoned the CFA.
“We were going to go over and have a look in case it was spreading or getting away, but the explosions, we didn’t know what was going off,” Mr Shepherd said.
“We started ducking for cover, it sounded like something going off, maybe ammunition, we decided we weren’t going in there in case something was gonna fly out at us.”
He said it was not until after the emergency services had attended the scene, that he and the truck driver realised it was a car.
“It was just going … you couldn’t really see what it was,” he said.
“After that, hindsight, we realised it was probably tyres or something (exploding).
“Then we thought someone might have grabbed one of the cars from here, next door and taken it over there for some fun … but they’re all parked up.”
Inquiries into the theft and fire are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to phone Hamilton Police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
- Casterton News
