A Bicton resident woken last Tuesday morning by a burning car says her pocket of the suburb is beginning to resemble the Bronx.
Susan Dangen said she was startled after hearing what she thought was screams and fireworks about 2.45am.
Racing out to the front of her Pt Walter Road home, she soon spotted flames billowing from a vehicle across the street.
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READ NOW“It was pretty bad,” she said.
“The whole car was on fire – from one end to the other – and there were little explosions going off which I’ve found out was probably the tires.
“I heard popping too, which I think was the glass coming out.”
A spokeswoman for the Department of Fire and Emergency Services said trucks from Fremantle Fire Station were called to the blaze, which was on the corner of Canning Highway.
The damage bill was about $3000, although the car was an obvious write-off.
Palmyra Police Acting Senior Sergeant Jason Liddelow said an investigation was ongoing, with it still unclear whether the car was stolen or if a fault had triggered the fire.
Ms Dangen said she was unsure why the car was not removed immediately.
“(Staff at the City of Melville) did explain they have to go by the book but the thing to me is that it’s a danger and with danger you bypass that,” she said.
City of Melville chief executive Shayne Silcox said the vehicle’s owner was notified on Wednesday the charred remains had to be removed within 48 hours.
“The vehicle was not removed by the owner and was impounded on Friday,” he said.
Dr Silcox did not believe the car was creating a traffic hazard.
Ms Dangen said she hoped it was the bottoming out point for the street, lamenting regular street fights, screaming, mess left around charity bins and people sleeping down a grassed walkway near a precinct featuring homes, a bottle shop, a bar and restaurants.
She said the area was turning into the “Bicton Bronx”, referring to a borough in New York once plagued by rampant crime.
“I’ve been here eight years and it’s been really bad for the last two,” she said.
“This has to be the down-point for the problems in the street.”
Dr Silcox said the City was aware of the concerns and has been working actively through the Safer Melville Advisory Committee and with relevant stakeholders to consider and address those issues.
He said the community was encouraged to report all incidents to police.
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