A mum was forced to make a terrifying decision when the car she and her kids were in burst into flames in the middle of a lion enclosure.
Helen Clements and her two children - daughter Charlie, 12, and son George, nine - were enjoying an Easter trip to Longleat Safari Park in the UK on Good Friday.
A nice day out turned into an absolute nightmare when their car burst into flames and the mum was faced with a life-or-death decision - to stay in their vehicle or flee and face the lions who were just 100 yards away.
Helen, 43, described how her family tried to get out of the car, but rangers at the park told them to stay put for “safety reasons”.
She said, “The car just stopped and started to overheat. What I thought was steam started coming from the bonnet then it got darker and turned into smoke through the vent and towards us.
“I knew the lions were only 100 yards away and I just didn’t know what to do – should we get out of the car or should we stay? I sounded the horn and could see some park rangers but I kept an eye on the bonnet and then I saw the flames.”
The mum said that when her son George, who was in the back of the car, opened the door to get out, a ranger shouted at him to ‘Get back in’.
“I shouted back that we can’t – it’s on fire – and opened the driver’s door and started to get out and at that moment the rangers pulled up and we all jumped in with them,” said the mum.
Fire crews put out the flames within 15 minutes, and the mum said the family has thankfully fully recovered from the terrifying ordeal.
