THE DRIVER of a car which caught fire on the M3 near Basingstoke yesterday has voiced her gratitude to those who helped at the scene.

Rosie Howell was driving her Citreon C4 Picasso car northbound between junction 7 (Dummer) and 6 (Basingstoke) on Wednesday, April 14, when it caught fire. 

Firefighters from Winchester, Basingstoke and Odiham were called to the scene, and the blaze was extinguished, with no injuries reported.

Police also confirmed to the Gazette that the incident was not being treated as suspicious at the time.

Later in the day, the mother who was driving the vehicle has posted publically on Facebook, sharing a picture which shows the extent of the damage.

Rosie wrote: "I need to find the chaps who helped me this morning on the M3. My car set alight between junctions 5 and 6 (I think) north bound on the M3... specifically five people."

Rosie hopes the social media platform will help her to trace the man "who came to my rescue" as she attempted to get her children out of the vehicle safely; the man who let the family sit in his van; and the ambulance driver, named James, who sat with them and entertained her son.

She also wanted to express her gratitude to a man named Richard and his daughter who let them sit in their car for more than an hour, and drove them home.

She added: "A note to everyone who had to endure the traffic jam on the M3 this morning... I am sorry!"

  • Were you one of the people at the scene? You can view Rosie's appeal here.