Austyn Williams happened to be a the right place at the right time.
The quick-thinking Superior Collegiate and Vocational Institute students and a buddy spotted smoke billowing from behind a High Street residence Wednesday afternoon.
They ran to the site, where they found a car on fire, cans of highly flammable gasoline resting nearby.
“We went to the back and the car was on fire. There were gas cans around so I went to go warn the people, but no one was inside,” the 17-year-old said.
“Then the gas cans started exploding in the air. There was a van that caught on fire and I went to warn the neighbours and called the fire department. When I saw the gas cans, I wanted to get the hell out of there.”
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which sent smoke spiralling above the north-side neighbourhood.
They later canvassed passersby seeking witnesses to the blaze.
No cause has yet been determined.
