This is the dramatic moment a BMW started by itself and rolled down a drive before ploughing into a neighbour’s house and exploding into flames.

George Day’s son Adam heard a loud bang and looked out of the window to see giant flames ‘as tall as the house’ erupting from the BMW 3 series and setting the kitchen ablaze.

After battling the fire for four hours, firefighters claimed that they believe an electrical fault meant the vehicle started itself and overcame the handbrake to drive forwards around 12 feet.

In a freak series of events, the car had driven itself across the shared driveway because it had been left in gear and then burst into flames when it hit the uPVC kitchen door, with the family’s pet dog trapped inside.

The car on flames

George, 55, has now dubbed the car ‘Christine’ after the Stephen King horror book and film of the same name in which a possessed car comes to life and kills people.

George, a joiner from Hunsworth, near Cleckheaton, said: “We’re all still quite shell-shocked – it’s really frightening.

“I’m totally baffled – I just can’t believe it. How can a car possibly start itself?

George Day, 55, and his son Adam

“I’ve called her Christine after the 1983 Stephen King film.

“The car is a total write-off, but I’m not too bothered about my car, it’s my neighbours’ property that I’m most concerned about.

“Not even the fire investigators could explain it.

The wrecked car

“The handbrake was on, so even if it was trying to move, it would be working against the handbrake and engine.

“Luckily, we are friends and they realise that there was nothing I could do about it.”

Adam, 21, said: “As I looked out, I could see smoke flowing near our neighbours’ windows and that’s when I called 999.

See pictures of the wreckage below

“When I went outside, our car bonnet was on fire.

“Our neighbour ran out in a panic and left the dog behind in their house.

“I’m glad the dog was rescued and I guess I’m just a bit dumbfounded.”

The neighbour's door after the fire

Ian Firth, watch manager from West Yorkshire Fire Service’s Fire Investigation team, said: “It’s one of those incidents you could just never predict.

“We will never be able to say for definite what the fault in the vehicle was that caused it to start itself and burst into flames as it crashed into the neighbour’s house.”

A spokesperson for BMW said: “For now, the matter is with the insurers. As the independent experts it is industry standard practice for them to assess the vehicle first.”