Hoon car goes up in smoke

A spot of hooning went wrong when a man lost control of the vehicle he was driving on the corner of Grass Hill Road and Amarillo Drive in Karnup on Sunday afternoon.

It is believed the extensive heat of the spinning wheels caused a tyre to burst and the car burst into flames.

The flames spread to a big tree and timber fence on the property of produce exporters Fred and Teresa Kemps.

Alerted to the fire by the driver banging on their window and then running away, the Kemps raced to get a water spray tank used for watering their cucumbers to contain the fire.

‘‘We were very concerned that the embers from the burning tree could land on the greenhouses so we needed to act fast,’’ Mr Kemps said.

At the scene, Rockingham City Council emergency services coordinator Greg Whip said the quick thinking of the Kemps ‘‘helped enormously’’ until Singleton Volunteer Fire Brigade arrived on the scene.

Mandurah Traffic Sen. Const. Ian Hollins said the burnt vehicle and a red utility had been racing in the area prior to the incident, and reports of a red ute travelling at high speeds in the rural area had also been reported to the police.

On Monday, Mandurah Traffic Sgt Geoff Daniels said police had spoken with the car’s owner, who said the car had been stolen. Inquiries were continuing.

The driver is described as 20 to 22 years of age, about 185 to 190cm tall and wearing a white T-shirt or tank top.

The burning vehicle was the second car fire that day, with the fire brigade called to a reported stolen vehicle that was on fire on St Albans Road, Baldivis.