Heroes praised for helping woman who set herself on fire at Cosham BP garage
HEROIC bystanders who rushed to the aid of a woman who set herself on fire at a petrol station have been praised for their courage.
Horrified passersby charged towards the woman after she doused herself in petrol and lit it on the fuel court of the BP garage in Cosham on Sunday.
A video of the harrowing ordeal circulating on social media, which The News has seen but will not share, showed the terrifying moment.
It shows a woman wearing a black hoodie exiting a people carrier, clutching a container, and walking towards one of the pumps of the Northern Road garage at 10.26am.
She uses the pump to fill her container – before pouring its contents over her head and igniting.
Distressing footage shows the woman erupting into flames as she runs around the forecourt frantically while a blaze rages inches from the petrol pump.
A man is then seen sprinting towards the woman, removing his shirt in a desperate bid to pat the flames down.
Moments later three other people – two armed with fire extinguishers – rush to the woman’s aid, quelling the flames engulfing her and those raging by the pump.
By pure chance a paramedic crew from South Central Ambulance Service (Scas) were just metres away in traffic when the horrifying incident began and were able to provide treatment within seconds.
An ambulance service spokesman said: ‘The ambulance crew involved were just passing at the right time and stopped to assist the woman who had suffered serious burns.
‘A second ambulance crew and a paramedic team leader in a rapid response vehicle were also sent to the patient, and they also assessed and checked over some members of the public who had helped the lady.’
The injured woman, who has not been identified, was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham.
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The ambulance service spokesman praised the quick-thinking of all involved in helping the woman.
‘When it comes to incidents such as these, swift treatment is vital and it’s important to stop the burning process as soon as possible, so the swift actions of our staff and members of the public were not only courageous but would have also given the best possible chance for the patient to recover,’ the spokesman told The News.
Police and firefighters from Cosham – who are both based opposite the road – also attended the scene.
Hampshire Constabulary said they had been called to a ‘report of a concern for welfare’.
A spokesman added nobody else was seriously injured during the incident.
Officials from Motor Fuel Group, which owns the BP garage chain, declined to comment about the situation.