Man identified as Bombay petrol station legend who moved burning car from pumps

A man who moved a burning car away from petrol pumps at an Auckland service station says he was just doing what he thought was right. 

Police were called to a car fire at a Mill Rd petrol station about 12.10pm yesterday but arrived to find the vehicle had already been moved away from the pumps. 

CCTV footage showed a man calmly approaching the car and moving it to safety, prompting a police appeal to identify the “petrol station legend”. 

Thames man Rob Horne told the Herald he was at the Bombay gas station when he heard yelling from across the forecourt. 

“This lady’s car was sort of starting to smoke and there was a small fire underneath it.” 

Horne realised the potential danger. 

Thames man Rob Horne, pictured with his daughter, said the heroic act seemed like the right thing to do. 

“I just sort of thought, oh, well, we’re all going to blow up if we leave the fire there.” 

He decided to get in the burning car and take the handbrake off to move it away from the pumps. 

“I sort of just looked around and saw that no one else was doing anything,” he said. 

With the car safely away from the pumps, Horne said he decided to continue on with his day, figuring it was ”problem solved”. 

But reflecting afterwards, he realised it was hardly an everyday occurrence. 

“It was pretty casual I suppose, but when I thought about it afterwards, I thought, s***, yeah, jumped out of a flaming car today,” he said. 

“It was a little, a little bit different from my day-to-day routine.” 

Police had been searching for Horne after a car caught fire at a petrol station in Bombay yesterday. Photo / NZ Police 

As for those calling him a hero, Horne said while he would take the title, the act seemed like a simple decision at the time. 

“I was just doing what I thought was the right thing to do.” 

The fire was out when emergency services arrived, and no other damage was caused – a result officials have credited to Horne’s speedy reaction. 

Police had been trying to identify the Good Samaritan after reviewing the gas station footage. 

They described him as the “petrol station legend”. 

“The man very calmly enters the vehicle, releases the handbrake and pushes the vehicle away from the pump while others assist with the fire,” Sergeant Mark Fleming said. 

“His brave actions prevented a much more serious situation from eventuating.” 

He said, “like all good heroes”, the mystery man left without recognition. 

Police said they wanted to contact the man and thank him for his actions. 

“Not everyone is able to jump into action in a dangerous situation, and this man deserves to be acknowledged for his courageous quick-thinking,” Fleming said.