Disaster was narrowly averted yesterday after a car caught fire outside a village petrol station on the Lizard Peninsula just yards from the pumps.

Flames quickly engulfed the Land Rover Discovery, creeping towards the pumps at Newtown Filling Station near St Martin, which were just minutes away from igniting into a giant fireball.

The situation was saved through prompt action of shop owners Carl Brownsword and Anne Crawley, Mr Brownsword said: “I turned off all the pumps and shouted for Anne to call the fire brigade. There was no-one else in the shop but we made sure everyone nearby was safe.” As smoke billowed across the road, the sound of the car’s tyres exploding prompted some neighbours to flee their homes.

One mother-of-two, who lives opposite the garage, said: “The fumes were starting to seep into the house so we had to get the children out.”

Firefighters from St Keverne and Mullion were on scene within 20 minutes and personnel wearing protective gear used hosereels to put out the blaze.

It is believed an electrical fault may have sparked the fire.

The owner of the Land Rover, David Best, of St Martin, said: “It was a lucky escape. Usually I park right outside the shop and fill up but luckily I parked a short distance away from the pumps.”

Fire station officer Graham Warren said the incident highlighted just how important it was for rural areas such as the Lizard peninsula to have a strong fire service.

He said: “We have a team of volunteers who downed tools and got to our engines at St Keverne and Mullion as quickly as they could. I’m very satisfied with the outcome here today.”