A UK police BMW was completely destroyed when it caught fire, closing down an entire motorway in the process.

The incident occurred on Monday on the M20 in Kent. According to Newsflare, the diesel-powered 530d Touring - the go-to “traffic” car for UK police forces - was responding to an emergency call when the fire broke out. The person who filmed the footage above said it “was well alight as it came to a stop.”

The two officers inside the car managed to get out unharmed. Kent Online reports that traffic soon built up behind the conflagration, and the opposite carriageway had to be closed as well, because of the smoke.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: “The fire, which was reported at 4.06pm on Monday 17 October, has destroyed a Kent Police traffic vehicle. No other vehicles were involved and no injuries have been reported.”

The Kent Road Policing Unit made light of the incident on Twitter, using #hotfuzz.

There has been no word on the cause of the fire. The 530d is generally bulletproof, and the police maintain their cars meticulously, so the fire shouldn't really have happened. The car could have overheated - unlikely - or developed an electrical fault - plausible, as the the process of splicing in the electrics for all the extra equipment the police install can be pretty brutal. Or it could have been a broken fuel or oil line, or a maintenance issue. No doubt the wreckage will be carefully examined, but it was such a mess that it’s doubtful anything conclusive will be found.

BMWs have been the motorway patrol car of choice for UK police forces for the last 13 years or so, since the power output of the German automaker's 3.0-litre, six-cylinder turbo diesel engine overtook that of previous favorite, the Volvo T5. The substantial discount BMW offers police fleets helped, as well. X5s and 3-Series' with the same engine are a popular choice, too.

Source: Newsflare; Kent Online

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