FIRE bosses say a town centre car blaze was started deliberately.
Crews were called to the fire, in Pavilion View, Colchester, shortly after 11.30pm on Monday.
Firefighters extinguished the fire, in a Ford people carrier, after 20 minutes.
A fire service spokesman said the cause of the fire has been recorded as deliberate and the case has been passed to Essex Police for further investigation.
A nearby resident called 999 after she was woken by a series of small explosions.
The woman, who the Gazette agreed not to name, said: “I woke up because I thought it was coming from one of our cars.
“But when I looked out all I could see was this car at the bottom of the road on fire.
“So I called the fire service pretty quickly.”
One crew from Colchester fire station, which is less than one minute from the scene, was sent. Essex Police was asked to comment but did not respond before the Gazette went to press.
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