DETECTIVES are investigating after a car was "gutted" during a blaze in Boscombe at the weekend.

Residents of Borthwick Road in Churchill Gardens say children were playing with fireworks in the park shortly before the blue Volkswagen Polo went up in flames on Saturday night.

Video footage by Sami Ristimäki

Sami Ristimäki, who lives in the street, captured video footage of the blaze, which can be viewed on the Daily Echo's website.

At the beginning of the video, debris litters the street as the flames cause a small explosion.

The 26-year-old said: "I was in my flat in Borthwick Road.

"There were some youngsters playing with fireworks in the gardens before the incident happened - this would have been at around 9pm.

"At around 9.30pm, I heard a tremendous bang.

"I looked out of the window and could see the car was ablaze.

“It was really dramatic. I couldn’t believe it."

Police and firefighters rushed to the scene. The fire was quickly extinguished and police launched an investigation into the cause of the blaze.

"I managed to film most of the incident," Sami said.

"I called the emergency services straight away.

"They were here very quickly – within five minutes.

"It was a really severe fire. It looked like the car was gutted.

"The fire made a right old mess of it."

Sami said he likes living in Churchill Gardens, but added: "We have had one or two issues here."

A spokesperson from the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called to the fire at 9.30pm.

"One appliance from Springbourne attended.

"Crews used breathing masks and a hose to extinguish the fire.

"The car was severely damaged by the heat of the fire."

A spokesperson from Dorset Police said officers are investigating the incident.

Yesterday morning, the burned-out car was still awaiting recovery.

Glass from windows destroyed by the heat of the fire and the force of the hoses used to extinguish the blaze covered the pavement.

Inside the vehicle, torched furnishings left seats and doors exposed. The fire had also melted the dashboard and the gear shift and shattered the windscreen.

The car was also badly damaged externally, with much of the paintwork blistered by the flames.