Torched vehicle sparks war fear

A PORT Elizabeth towing company fears a looming war between rival firms after one of its vehicles valued at R500 000 was set alight outside a Sydenham home early yesterday.

The wife of a Crash Motors Towing and Recovery employee noticed the burning Chevrolet Lumina, parked in the yard of the property, at about 2.30am when she woke up to use the bathroom.

The Milner Street residence is home to three families and three of the men are employees of Crash.

The families immediately rushed outside, grabbing bins, buckets and hose pipes to douse the flames.

According to one of the managers at Crash, who is also a resident of the Milner Street home, it took the families just more than 10 minutes to extinguish the blaze.

He asked not to be named for fear of becoming a target.

"By the time we got outside, the whole right side of the Lumina was on fire," he said.

"We are estimating the damage at about R300000. When we got there, the fire was already in the car's electric box so the motor might be okay but the car is wrecked.

 - Tremaine van Aardt