This is the inside of the burnt out wreck that used to be the car of one of my neighbours. This is how my evening went yesterday,

I've not been so scared for a long time.....

23:10 & I'm turning off the TV ready to go to bed. I hear a car horn. And again. And again. "What prats" I thought (or words to that effect), "I'll go outside & see who it is". So I grabbed a bag of rubbish & opened the front door. I did not expect to see the car across the road on fire. It was parked about 12 feet from my car, if it was going to blow then my car would have got it too and my house.

I dropped the rubbish grabbed my keys & phone & left the house to join the crowd at the end of the road. One of the guys told me to move my car but there was no way I was doing that, far too scared.

23:20 Someone had already called the fire brigade but the flames were getting higher so I called too. They insisted they'd be here very soon. I walked round the corner to try & protect myself, if it did go I did not want covering in projectile bits of glass. As I stood talking to two girls who were hanging out their bedroom window I could hear the crackling flames getting worse & then the car alarm sounded & the ignition of the car was trying to start. Luckily that's when the blue lights came down the main road of the estate.

23:30 Flames out and I stood talking to my neighbours. It's shocking that I've lived here 16 years & this is the most I've ever talked to any of them. The gentleman whose car it was told me he was just getting over a stoke & was meant to be taking it easy. His daughter (who lives in another house on the street) was the one who saw the fire & reported it as she chassed after two kids who were running from the scene, she hadn't even realised it was her parents car at that point.. Her mum gave her a talking to & told her she shouldn't have done but you don't think, do you?

Anyway.... half an hour later and the police went, the fire brigade cleared up & left & I came back in relieved that my property is all OK. My heart has just about gone back to normal and I'm going to try & sleep. Just needed to get this down in writing & get it out of my system before going upstairs.

I'm absolutely fine, but I really did think that I could lose everything I own in the next few minutes. Just makes you think..... doesn't it?