Watch: Vehicle explodes outside West Quay Shopping Centre
The moment a vehicle exploded in a fireball outside West Quay Shopping Centre this morning (March 19) has been captured on camera.
Fire crews were called to the ‘significant’ fire at the Southampton shopping centre just after 9.30am when a van containing cylinders exploded.
Shoppers and staff were quickly evacuated as sirens echoed through the complex and were not allowed to return until lunchtime with the area around the Podium car park entrance cordoned off.
The fire completely destroyed the van and caused heat and smoke damage to the entrance of the Westquay car park with ventilation fans deployed to clear the remaining smoke.
The explosion has been capture on video which has then been widely shared across social media (see below).
A statement from Hampshire Fire and Rescue said: “The fire has been confirmed as accidental, and the scene has now been handed over to the Police.
“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and cooperation during this incident.”
Investigations into the cause are ongoing.