Land Rover SUV bursts into flames on Nairobi Expressway

A luxury Range Rover goes up in flames along expressway near Standards Group along Mombasa road . [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Motorists along the busy Mombasa highway were left stunned today early morning when a Land Rover SUV burst into flames along expressway near the Standard Media Group.

Thick black smoke billowed from the vehicle’s engine compartment, halting traffic and prompting emergency response.

Thick black smoke billowed from the vehicle’s engine compartment. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Eyewitnesses reported that the fire appeared to originate from the front of the vehicle, with flames quickly engulfing the bonnet.

Eyewitnesses say the fire appeared to originate from the front of the vehicle.  [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

A nearby motorist attempted to assist before emergency services arrived, but the blaze had already consumed much of the car’s front.

Firefighters came too late and could do too little to save the vehicle. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

It is suspected that the fire may be linked to a known manufacturing defect affecting several Land Rover models.

In recent global recalls, Jaguar Land Rover admitted that improperly drilled camshaft oil galleries in certain engines allowed oil to leak into the air intake system posing a serious fire risk.

Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the incident. Firefighters came too late and could do too little to save the heavy machinery from going down.

Traffic resumed shortly after.