Lucky escape as ambulance destroyed in motorway blaze

The ambulance was on its way to Antrim Area Hospital

A woman patient and an ambulance crew had a narrow escape when the vehicle caught fire on the motorway on Sunday.

The woman was being taken to Antrim Area Hospital when the crew noticed smoke in the driver's cab.

The ambulance pulled over on the M2 motorway half a mile from the hospital. Everyone got out before it burst into flames and was destroyed.

No-one was injured. The woman was taken to hospital by a man passing by in his van.

It is understood the fire started under the bonnet of the vehicle.

John McPolland from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said that the patient's safety and care was not compromised.

He added: "The patient was not going to hospital with any serious or life-threatening complaint and whilst it might have been an upsetting experience, thankfully the quick thinking of the staff made the situation much better than it actually was."