Neighbour Luke Ireland. Photo: Bill Smith

A neighbour rushed to extinguish a burning car with a garden hose and sand, following an arson attack.

The burnt-out car on Ipswich Road. Photo: Bill Smith

The car was set on fire in the early hours of yesterday morning, shortly after midnight.

Police sealed off three homes and the burnt out Vauxhall Vectra off Ipswich Road at around 1am, amid fears the fire would spread to a house.

Neighbour Luke Ireland and his father attempted to extinguish the blaze using their garden hose and sand.

Mr Ireland said the fire was so bright it felt like daylight.

The car fire in Ipswich Road.

“I was in bed with my girlfriend and we went down for a cup of tea,” he said. “We heard an explosion and then my dad called 999.

“My dad said, grab the hose pipe. We had sand there from an oil change as well, but it didn’t make a difference.

“There were fire brigade and police cars all up the street.”

It is understood the owner of the car, which had a yellow clamp on a front wheel, moved out of the house yesterday.

She lived in the red-bricked, terrace house in Tuckswood with her teenage son.

Their white front door was also damaged with black paint smeared across it, but neighbours said the damage had been there for weeks.

Mr Ireland, 25, who works in retail, added: “I moved my cars out of the way and my neighbour’s car.

“The alarms went off when they were shaken by the explosion.”

Officers were called to the home south of the Maid Marian pub by the junction with the outer ring road by fire crews at 12.20am.

A fire crew from Carrow was called out just after midnight to the car blaze and wearing breathing equipment, used hose reel jets to put out the fire.

Norwich CID is now investigating the suspected arson and took the car away yesterday afternoon for forensic examinations.

The cordon around the houses and the Vauxhall Vectra was lifted at 12.30pm.

A police spokesman said: “Police received a report of a car fire in the early hours of the morning. The call came in from fire at 12:20am.

“A seal was put on car and property. A CID investigation is continuing.

“The vehicle involved appears to be Vauxhall Vectra.

“There is nothing to suggest that there was a deliberate ignition of the house, only the car.”