The dramatic moment more than a dozen cars went up in flames at a country race meet has been caught on camera.
The chaos unfolded at Great Western Racecourse’s carpark near the Grampians, three hours west of Melbourne, on Sunday afternoon.
In the clip, black smoke and flames are seen billowing above the cars as fire fighters desperately try to put a stop to the blaze.
Race caller Ric McIntosh said crowds could hear explosions created by the fire’s ferocity.
“You hear a very loud noise like [a] fuel tank going off in a car, and it was followed closely by another one, another one and another one,” he said.
“Within about roughly a 10-minute period, there would have been close to 15 of those bangs and by then the stewards had called the meeting off.”
One of the cars’ hot catalytic converter which was parked on hay is believed to have sparked the flames.
Two water bombers were used to quash the inferno from above, while at least 20 fire trucks assisted with the chaos that broke out as the mercury hit 35C.
“Approximately 18 cars were burnt in the blaze which spread to nearby grasslxjmtzywand,” the CFA said in a statement.
“The fire was brought under control just before 2.30pm and crews remain on scene extinguishing the fire ensuring there are no remaining hot spots.”
The race meet was cancelled shortly after the fire broke out and the horses were all quickly evacuated.
