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‘At first I wondered if someone was after me’

A Bristol man has described the terrifying moment he looked out of the window and saw his car engulfed in flames after the vehicle was torched in a spate of arson attacks across the city.

Alex Bloomer, who lives in Bradley Stoke, was woken up by a loud bang at around 4.30am on Sunday (April 3) before he saw an ‘orangey glow’ behind his bedroom window.

The 26-year-old told BristolWorld: “I pulled back the curtain and saw my car on fire outside.

“My heart was pounding. For a split second I thought, are they targeting me?

“It was until later that I found out that this had happened to a lot of people.”

Alex thinks that his car, a red Volkswagen Polo, was one of the last vehicles to be set on fire during the attacks, which saw dozens of vehicles includingseveral minibuses damaged in the Bradley Stoke, Stoke Gifford, Little Stoke and Filton areas.

Footage taken by Alex shows the car alight, sending a cloud of smoke billowing into the air.

The incidents, which are thought to have taken place between 1.30am and 5.30am that morning, have had a ‘devastating’ impact on these communities and are now being probed by Avon and Somerset Police.

The force believes that ‘two people’ are involved.

Alex, who works as a freelance video editor, added: “I live on Sherbourne Avenue and it’s one of the quietest residential streets ever where this sort of the thing just doesn’t happen at all.

“It could have been a lot worse had the car been closer to the house, as I live with my parents and my niece and nephew who are aged one and four were staying with us that night.

Alex’s car, a red Volkswagen Polo, was destroyed in the attacks.

“None of the other cars on my road were damaged. I think that whoever did this chose our house as it’s on the end of the street, which might have made for a quicker getaway.

“Luckily, by the time I had woken my dad up and we went outside, a neighbour had called the fire brigade and they arrived soon afterwards.

“The car was towed away today. It’s definitely put a strain on my life as I used it for everything.

“I feel frustrated and fed up, to be honest. I don’t get the motive.”

Anyone with information should call 101 and give the call handler the reference number Log 124 of Sunday 3 April, or complete an online appeals form.

Terrifying footage shows man’s car engulfed in flames in north Bristol arson attacks