At around 16.45 this afternoon traffic on the A6 and A59 opposite the Holiday Inn in Preston City Centre came to a standstill.

Black clouds from a burning car billowed over the busy road junction. Dark smoke from the car tyres drifted into the path of both passing vehicles and pedestrians alike, many stopping to record the event on their phones.

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Parked across from buildings at the bottom of Ormskirk Road, the engine of a small black hatchback blazed away while the owner stood in a doorway of nearby loan shop watched on helplessly.

Just a few minutes after the fire started a small explosion from the burning car engine made onlookers dive for cover. Luckily fire fighters were quickly on the scene, a single hose used to reduce the blaze to a mass of steaming white smoke.

See more pictures of the fire here: