'I'm a lucky guy:' Doncaster teenager escapes as bike explodes in fireball

Cameron Hill was riding his moped through Doncaster on Monday lunchtime when the vehicle burst into flames and was totally destroyed in a matter of minutes.

And he says his lucky escape was down to a gang of Doncaster Council workers who alerted him to flames coming from the bike as he waited at a red traffic light.

The 17-year-old said: “I had no idea at all the bike was on fire. It was only when these lads came over and told me.

"I jumped off and a few seconds later the whole thing had totally gone up in flames. It was a lucky escape and I’m a lucky guy.”

Cameron, who lives in Edenthorpe, was travelling along Church Balk in the village shortly after noon on Monday when the drama unfolded.

He had taken the day off work to celebrate his birthday the previous Friday and was running a few errands for his mum when disaster struck.

Added Cameron, who bought the second hand scooter for £400 last year: “It was a warm day so I didn’t feel the heat or anything.

"I stopped at the temporary traffic light at the roadworks and a council worker called Daniel Smith shouted that my bike was on fire.

"I didn’t hear properly at first because of my helmet, but then I looked down and I could see flames about the size of a football behind me.

"He went to get a fire extinguisher but by the time he came back, the bike had totally gone up.”

The flames were so intense they even burnt a nearby tree in the incident near to Canon Popham School.

Fire crews were called to extinguish the flames – leaving behind just the charred shell of Cameron’s bike.

But despite his lucky escape, he says the incident has not put him off bikes and biking.

He added: “I’ve been riding for a while now and it’s not going to stop me. I spent all day dealing with the insurers though so it wasn’t exactly the day I had in mind.”