0:00:02 > 0:00:04A close call. A moment of danger when life can hang in the balance.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06I could die here. This is really serious.
0:00:08 > 0:00:11A split second where the outcome could go either way.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12Right, call 999 now.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15The difference between disaster and survival.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18You could see it on the faces of the crew how life threatening this was.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Why would you need to swim?
0:00:20 > 0:00:22Apparently they're supposed to still be on a boat.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24These are the people that have been there
0:00:24 > 0:00:25and lived to tell the tale.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27I thought she had died.
0:00:27 > 0:00:29It's a day they'll never forget.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32The day they had a close call.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Today on Close Calls...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52A distraught mum begs the emergency services for help.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01She is close to losing it...
0:01:03 > 0:01:06..and close to losing her seven-year-old daughter.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09When we got upstairs, Violet was dead.
0:01:12 > 0:01:16Also today, a microlight pilot realises something is wrong
0:01:16 > 0:01:18with his engine.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20It stopped absolutely dead.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22I knew it was something serious.
0:01:22 > 0:01:26He is unsure where to land and his options are running out.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29He is also in danger of being electrocuted.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32The impact was going to be a problem,
0:01:32 > 0:01:34but running into power lines would have been a bigger one.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40And a holiday hire car goes up in smoke.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The fire was literally inside the car and it was going up very, very fast.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
0:01:55 > 0:01:57A terrified mother makes a 999 call.
0:02:04 > 0:02:06But her seven-year-old daughter isn't choking,
0:02:06 > 0:02:09she is actually in cardiac arrest.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Her parents must try to keep her alive until help arrives.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36Dance-mad Violet lives with her mum, dad and sister.
0:02:36 > 0:02:40They're a close family and enjoy spending time together.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44Violet's big sister, six years her senior, is teenager Olivia.
0:02:44 > 0:02:47She is also Violet's best friend.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49Violet is a really bubbly sister.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51She never shuts up, ever!
0:02:51 > 0:02:54We're really close. We talk about anything with each other.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59As well as hanging out with her sister, Violet loves being active.
0:02:59 > 0:03:03I do netball, piano and music lessons.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06But her number one passion is dancing.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09I do ballroom and Latin dancing.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12And I've entered competitions
0:03:12 > 0:03:15and I've won quote a few plaques and trophies.
0:03:20 > 0:03:22It is a Saturday night in February.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25Violet and Olivia are upstairs.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Their parents, Jane and Tony, are watching television in the lounge.
0:03:29 > 0:03:30Totally normal night.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32Olivia had a friend sleeping.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37The girls had been upstairs playing, messing about, laughing.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41My sister had her friend over and we were just like, having fun.
0:03:41 > 0:03:45It is 11pm and way past Violet's bedtime.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48Mum Jane puts the reluctant seven-year-old to bed
0:03:48 > 0:03:50then goes back downstairs.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53But a few minutes later, she hears Violet coughing.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57I went up to check on her, thinking that she was messing about
0:03:57 > 0:04:00because she obviously wanted to get in back with the girls.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03The moment Jane enters her daughter's bedroom affects
0:04:03 > 0:04:06the family's lives forever.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09She was sitting up in bed.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14She was about to fall forward with no breath whatsoever.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18I could just tell the breath wasn't going to kick back in.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20It's the most awful thing you could ever imagine.
0:04:20 > 0:04:23Jane screams for her husband.
0:04:23 > 0:04:27I started CPR, but her mouth had even like locked.
0:04:27 > 0:04:28My husband then came upstairs,
0:04:28 > 0:04:32he took over me from CPR while I could ring 999.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35This is that distressing emergency call...
0:04:35 > 0:04:37PHONE RINGS
0:04:46 > 0:04:49The call handler is John Cameron.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50The lady on the phone was clearly
0:04:50 > 0:04:54and understandably very worried about her daughter choking.
0:04:54 > 0:04:57The first priority was to get the address and the telephone number
0:04:57 > 0:04:59from her because without that, you know,
0:04:59 > 0:05:01we're not going to be able to help.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14John gets the address and dispatches a rapid response team of paramedics
0:05:14 > 0:05:16as well as an ambulance.
0:05:16 > 0:05:18Now he needs more information.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20But Jane is frantic with worry.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31Jane is in shock and beginning to lose control.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39John needs Jane to keep it together.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42He tries giving her instructions on what to do.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56My priority was to try and get instructions passed to them
0:05:56 > 0:06:00as quick as possible. It was difficult because, as I said,
0:06:00 > 0:06:03the caller was very distressed.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15Jane is too distraught to follow what John is saying.
0:06:15 > 0:06:17Husband Tony takes over.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Violet's heart has completely stopped working.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41Oxygen is no longer getting to her brain.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Her terrified parents must start her heart quickly or she will die.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01Tony does his best to follow John's instructions.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04It is the only way to save little Violet.
0:07:04 > 0:07:08If the patient was just left lying on the floor unconscious and not
0:07:08 > 0:07:11breathing while the ambulance was en route, then the patient's condition
0:07:11 > 0:07:15would deteriorate very quickly, with possible fatal consequences.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Violet's life is hanging in the balance.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20She needs expert medical help now.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28The call is still recording as the paramedics arrive.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34Jane frantically directs them to her daughter.
0:07:39 > 0:07:42Ryan Nelson is one of a two-man crew.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45You don't tend to forget a parent's screams
0:07:45 > 0:07:49or a parent's cries for help when it's a child.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55When we got upstairs, Violet was dead.
0:07:57 > 0:08:01She was blue, she was lifeless,
0:08:01 > 0:08:04so from this point we took over.
0:08:05 > 0:08:08Ryan and fellow paramedic Lee need to act fast
0:08:08 > 0:08:11if there is any chance of bringing the young child back.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13They check her windpipe. It's clear.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16You look for something and you can't find something.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18You're dealing with a mystery.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24I was screaming at her to come round and come round and she just wasn't.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Ryan starts CPR.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It doesn't get much worse than that for a family,
0:08:30 > 0:08:33to be performing CPR on their young child,
0:08:33 > 0:08:35and it had reached that point.
0:08:35 > 0:08:37Honestly, I looked at her and I thought,
0:08:37 > 0:08:39"She's not going to survive this."
0:08:39 > 0:08:41I thought she had died.
0:08:41 > 0:08:43Technically, she's right.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Ryan realises the little girl has, in fact, had a cardiac arrest.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51He needs to try and restart her heart using a defibrillator.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55We charged the defibrillator
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and stood clear and gave her that shock.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Once the shock was delivered we continued with our CPR.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05It works. Violet's heart starts beating again.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08The little girl suddenly comes back to life.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12She literally sat up and I thought, "God, she's alive."
0:09:14 > 0:09:18It's the most amazing moment for Mum and Dad.
0:09:18 > 0:09:20She had come back to us.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24It was just literally life-changing in seconds.
0:09:24 > 0:09:28But Violet needs urgent specialist medical care.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32An ambulance rushes her to James Paget University Hospital.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34A cardiac arrest team is waiting.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37They got her on the bed and they were calling her name,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40asking her what school she went to.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44They had never ever seen a child so young at that hospital
0:09:44 > 0:09:47in sudden cardiac arrest. They'd never seen it.
0:09:47 > 0:09:51The specialist team need to work out why it's happened.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54She was obviously all on a monitor and everything,
0:09:54 > 0:09:57but obviously she was so distraught what had happened to her.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Violet is transferred to the specialist children's hospital at
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Great Ormond Street,
0:10:03 > 0:10:05where the paediatric cardiology team
0:10:05 > 0:10:08solve the life-threatening mystery.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11Violet is diagnosed with a very rare heart condition
0:10:11 > 0:10:13called Long QT syndrome.
0:10:13 > 0:10:16Violet's heart is perfectly fit and healthy,
0:10:16 > 0:10:18but, basically, she had gone to sleep,
0:10:18 > 0:10:23and the easiest way to explain it is, her heart rhythm hadn't kicked back in.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28Sometimes, with Long QT, you find that you've fainted or passed out,
0:10:28 > 0:10:30but Violet hadn't shown any symptom
0:10:30 > 0:10:32whatsoever, nothing.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35To stop Violet suffering another attack,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39medics rush her into surgery and insert a special electrical device.
0:10:40 > 0:10:45What it does is, basically, it sits just here under her muscle,
0:10:45 > 0:10:49and the wires are connected to the heart.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52If her heart ever went into that rhythm again,
0:10:52 > 0:10:54it would shock her back.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56The same as an external defib.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01This tiny piece of medical technology
0:11:01 > 0:11:03has given Violet her life back.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07She's still dancing, and has even competed at her dream venue.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10I qualified to go to the Blackpool Tower,
0:11:10 > 0:11:12and that was really fun, yeah.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21We were looking at her just thinking, "Oh, can you believe
0:11:21 > 0:11:25"that she's done so well? Who would know here what she's been through?"
0:11:25 > 0:11:26Following her recovery,
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Violet visited Ryan and the rest of the ambulance team
0:11:30 > 0:11:32who helped save her life.
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Violet's doing amazing.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36She's got quite a lively family, which is nice,
0:11:36 > 0:11:38and they've not let it hold her back.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41She's a good inspiration to anybody who's gone through this.
0:11:41 > 0:11:45She's definitely making the most of being with us.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48That was really special. We just sat down and spoke to them,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51and they made me laugh and things.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54When I'm older, they'd take me to prom in an ambulance, if I wanted.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00How I look at it is, it was not her time to go and there was definitely
0:12:00 > 0:12:02someone looking down on her that night.
0:12:07 > 0:12:11Coming up, two friends on holiday in Cyprus make a quick getaway
0:12:11 > 0:12:14as their hire car goes up in flames.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16We knew there was a full tank of petrol. We didn't know what
0:12:16 > 0:12:19to expect, whether there was going to be a big explosion.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31The Norfolk coast, near Cromer.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35A microlight pilot has total engine failure at 4,000 feet.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40I was startled, and suddenly I'd lost it.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44He's got little more than a minute to find a safe landing site,
0:12:44 > 0:12:45but there's a problem.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48There was a power line running across the field.
0:12:48 > 0:12:50It was a 3,300 volt cable.
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Engineer Kevin and his wife Lynne
0:13:03 > 0:13:06live in the village of North Newbald in East Riding, Yorkshire.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09They have two grown-up sons.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13We've been married 30 odd years, 37 years or so.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Chris is 32, Elliott's 22.
0:13:16 > 0:13:20Lynn and Chris help manage the family-run engineering firm,
0:13:20 > 0:13:22which Kevin set up in 1993.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24We specialise in mezzanine floors.
0:13:24 > 0:13:26We do a lot of the retail sector,
0:13:26 > 0:13:30so we'll put a second floor in a building and double the space.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33Now, I mean, I've semi-retired, and the people running the business
0:13:33 > 0:13:35do a much better job of it than I ever did.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Lynne's everything. She really is the star of it.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42The firm has a real family feel.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Employee Mike has been with them for 15 years.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49Kevin is one of a kind. He knows exactly what he wants to do,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52and he has his own way of getting there.
0:13:52 > 0:13:54He's a bit like a father figure to me.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56He's a good guy.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Their floors take their clients up a level.
0:13:59 > 0:14:02But Kevin's hobby takes him even higher.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Flying is a special pleasure.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10Not a thrill in the thrill-seeking way but, actually,
0:14:10 > 0:14:13a very privilege to look down on lines of cars on roads,
0:14:13 > 0:14:16and there you are above them all.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19You can go to the back of a cloud. You can look at your own reflection
0:14:19 > 0:14:23in that cloud. You can see a rainbow from above.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26You can watch England roll underneath you.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Kevin's aircraft of choice is a microlight.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31And it doesn't just fulfil his passion for flight,
0:14:31 > 0:14:36it gives him the opportunity to indulge his engineering skills, too.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38He's fitted his own engine to the machine,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41and enjoys trying to improve its performance.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43I would say he's a little bit obsessed, yes.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47He's always tinkering with his machines and designing bits of
0:14:47 > 0:14:48new kit and things.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I've tinkered with engines since I was 11. Built go-karts and things.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54But a microlight is something completely different.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56It's something that actually flies.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58It's a dream. And for a working-class lad,
0:14:58 > 0:15:01to be able to do it is, I think, incredible.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Because the things are affordable.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06But wife Lynne isn't as keen on the microlight as Kevin.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08Lynne tolerates the hobby.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11She decided to go up with me one day to see what it was all about.
0:15:11 > 0:15:14So, when I took her up she thought, "Well, this is OK, it's very slow."
0:15:14 > 0:15:16And she spent a lot of time looking over the side and saying,
0:15:16 > 0:15:19"Look at that house with a swimming pool, look at that house
0:15:19 > 0:15:22"with a swimming pool!" So, of course, I put her down very quickly
0:15:22 > 0:15:24and said, "Oh, yes...", you know.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I didn't want to finish up paying for a swimming pool.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30Kevin's been flying Microlights for 20 years.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Apart from a scrape with a tree in the early days,
0:15:32 > 0:15:34he's stayed safe.
0:15:34 > 0:15:36They aren't, in themselves, inherently dangerous.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38It's how you operate them.
0:15:40 > 0:15:42It's a sunny weekday in April,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45and Kevin's freed up some flying time.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48He decides to head down to an airfield 129 miles away,
0:15:48 > 0:15:52near Cromer in Norfolk, to see a friend who works there.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55It was a beautiful day. No wind.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58The journey would take probably 2.5 hours.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00Kevin regularly records his flights
0:16:00 > 0:16:03with a camera fixed to the top of the plane.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08It's recording as he takes off and begins the climb.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12I decided to fly high. On a warm day, it can get a bit bouncy,
0:16:12 > 0:16:14so the higher you go, the smoother, it is.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18I was above light, broken cloud. It was absolutely perfect.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20He climbs to 6,000 feet,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23travelling at 60 miles an hour for most of the journey.
0:16:24 > 0:16:26Just looking down at the views of Lincolnshire,
0:16:26 > 0:16:30and the shape of the coast, feeling all's right with the world.
0:16:30 > 0:16:333.9 miles from my destination, and I can taste that tea already.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38He starts his descent, dropping down to 4,000 feet.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43But moments later, he realises something is wrong with the engine.
0:16:46 > 0:16:49It stopped absolutely dead. I was startled.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53It had been so reliable in the past, and suddenly I'd lost it.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56I knew it was something serious. I looked back, there was no stream
0:16:56 > 0:16:59of oil or smoke coming out so, I was in no immediate danger
0:16:59 > 0:17:02because it glides safely, or she wouldn't catch me anywhere near it.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05But although the small aircraft is able to glide,
0:17:05 > 0:17:08it can't maintain height without the engine.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11Whether he likes it or not, Kevin is going down.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14He starts to look for a suitable landing site.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18There were plenty of fields, all available to land on.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20He considers his options.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22The engine stopped a few times while I've been developing it.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25I was so complacent that I was actually looking for a field with an
0:17:25 > 0:17:28entrance next to it, so I could conveniently package
0:17:28 > 0:17:29the thing into a van and take it home.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32Feeling confident he can deal with the situation,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35he rules out one field near a farmhouse,
0:17:35 > 0:17:39then another that's near a road because the shrubs either side are
0:17:39 > 0:17:41too tall. Another field has too many crops,
0:17:41 > 0:17:44and yet another looks too rough.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46I had rejected all the best places to land.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49But his options are running out.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53The on-board camera shows how low he is.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55He needs to make a decision - quickly.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59He spots some grassland just out of camera shot to his left,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02but he's made a terrible error.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04I was preparing to land rather slowly.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06But there's something in the way.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10There's a 3,300 volt cable.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12Just off to his left, he can see the pylons.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15If he hits them, he'll be electrocuted.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18The impact was going to be a problem.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21But running into power lines would be a bigger one.
0:18:21 > 0:18:24He smashes into the ground at 60 miles an hour.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35The camera picks up the power lines seconds before the crash.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39He just misses them, coming down in soft, boggy mud.
0:18:39 > 0:18:41The aircraft stops dead,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43flipping upside down.
0:18:43 > 0:18:45I don't remember the impact at all.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Kevin's body harness stops him being thrown from the microlight,
0:18:52 > 0:18:54but he's left hanging upside down.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Opening my eyes after the crash,
0:18:57 > 0:19:00I was winded, but I can remember standing up from the machine.
0:19:00 > 0:19:04The sense of relief as you climb out of something like that is enormous.
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Obviously, you check yourself up and down, and I couldn't believe
0:19:07 > 0:19:10that there was not a mark. After looking back at the machine,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12that I'd got away with it without a scratch.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14The microlight is smashed and mangled.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17I'd fared far better off than the machine.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20The foot rest was bent forward by my feet bracing against it.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23I'd also bent various tubes with my arms.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26I'm not that strong but, by gum, you find some strength to hold yourself
0:19:26 > 0:19:29back. You know, I count myself very, very lucky, indeed.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32And, as luck would have it,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35Mike from the office happens to be at a business meeting
0:19:35 > 0:19:37nearby in Great Yarmouth.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40A quick call and he comes to the boss's rescue.
0:19:41 > 0:19:45I was expecting possibly broken arm, maybe a bit of internal bleeding,
0:19:45 > 0:19:47that kind of thing. But he seemed pretty good shape,
0:19:47 > 0:19:50considering what had just happened.
0:19:50 > 0:19:51The pair drive home,
0:19:51 > 0:19:55and the next day Kevin goes back to collect the wreckage of his plane.
0:19:56 > 0:19:58It was a big disappointment to see the machine destroyed.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00But I'd achieved an awful lot with it.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04And when he reviews the footage,
0:20:04 > 0:20:08he realises just how much danger he was in.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10I'm probably 50 to 100 feet above the trees.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12That bush was bigger than I expected.
0:20:12 > 0:20:15As I came in to land, that's when you see the power lines.
0:20:15 > 0:20:17Oops, I need to put it down firmly.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20The fortunate thing is the trike rolled forward,
0:20:20 > 0:20:25so, in other words, the energy went into tipping the trike over,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27rather than a dead stop, which would have been fatal.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Kevin briefly considered giving up flying,
0:20:32 > 0:20:33but decided he would miss it.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36I wasn't ready to pack it in just yet.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38I didn't want to end it on a failure,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41I wanted to end it as a success.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46He's now fixed the engine and bought a new microlight body.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49But he's a lot more cautious.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52I'm extremely lucky not to suffer the consequences that I could have
0:20:52 > 0:20:53suffered from my bad choices.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56That really was a close call in that,
0:20:56 > 0:20:59having made all those mistakes, I still got away with it.
0:21:02 > 0:21:04And that's a sharp lesson learned.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07You're never too old to learn. Never too old to learn.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20We often feature incidents where someone's had a near miss
0:21:20 > 0:21:23on holiday. They probably happen because that's when
0:21:23 > 0:21:26we all feel most relaxed. But it pays to keep our wits about us,
0:21:26 > 0:21:29and know how to get help in an emergency abroad.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38The beautiful island of Cyprus,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40a favourite hot spot for Brits chasing the sun.
0:21:42 > 0:21:43On a mountain roadside,
0:21:43 > 0:21:45a car billows black smoke
0:21:45 > 0:21:48as flames begin to envelop the front-end.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52It's a hire car leased by two British tourists,
0:21:52 > 0:21:56and their dream holiday is quickly turning to ashes.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58It happened extremely quickly.
0:21:58 > 0:22:00The fire was literally inside the car.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02It was going up very, very fast.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Health and safety expert Richard Mason, from Accrington,
0:22:16 > 0:22:21is managing director of his own company and works very long hours.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Running my own business, I don't have a great deal of spare time.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27I do have a basset hound dog, who takes quite a bit of time,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30even in his old age, walking him or playing with him or just cleaning up
0:22:30 > 0:22:32after him.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35But when Richard does manage to take a break, he loves going with friends
0:22:35 > 0:22:37to their favourite Mediterranean island.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41We'd chosen a villa in the mountains.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46Going away on holiday is the only time we get to, sort of, de-stress.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50We can stop thinking about the business for a couple of weeks.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Looking forward to two weeks with nothing to do but relax,
0:22:53 > 0:22:56Richard and a pal fly into Cyprus quite late at night.
0:22:58 > 0:23:00Richard has booked a hire car online,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03which they go straight to collect after picking up their luggage.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06But they're shocked by the state of the car.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08It wasn't the car that we'd booked,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and the car was quite old, had a lot of bangs to it.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13There was tape around the mirror, it hadn't been cleaned,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16and so I decided that we weren't going to take that car
0:23:16 > 0:23:17and we insisted on another car.
0:23:19 > 0:23:22So, it was about 10:30pm at night when they offered us another car.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24It looked slightly older
0:23:24 > 0:23:27than the first car, but it was in better condition.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Tired and wanting to get their villa,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31Richard accepts the second car and they set off.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36We then drove to our villa in a village called Lysos.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38It's at the foot of the Troodos Mountains,
0:23:38 > 0:23:40so it's quite an elevated position.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44In their rundown hire car, they take it slowly.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46It's quite a steep hill, quite mountainous roads.
0:23:46 > 0:23:49And so it did struggle, as any old car would.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52They arrive at their villa late and tired.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56But next day, it's a gorgeous morning,
0:23:56 > 0:24:00and Richard and his friend drive to the town of Paphos, 40 minutes away,
0:24:00 > 0:24:03to shop for food and drink for their two-week stay.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07Loaded up, they set off back to their villa.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10On the journey back to Lysos, the car did stall a couple of times.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12The plan was to get back to the villa
0:24:12 > 0:24:15and then call the rental company, and just tell them
0:24:15 > 0:24:17that we're having problems with the car and, hopefully,
0:24:17 > 0:24:20we thought they'd come and replace the car at the villa.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25But they're beginning to fear they won't even make it back.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27As we were making our way up to the village,
0:24:27 > 0:24:29the car was really struggling on the hills,
0:24:29 > 0:24:32struggling much more than it did the previous night.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35They decide to look for a place to stop and check the car out.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38It was then we saw the white smoke.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43At this stage, I still thought it was just overheating or some kind
0:24:43 > 0:24:45of mechanical fault.
0:24:45 > 0:24:46But as they pull over,
0:24:46 > 0:24:50they begin to realise it's much more serious than that.
0:24:54 > 0:24:56White smoke turned into flames,
0:24:56 > 0:24:59and we could see flames from the windscreen.
0:24:59 > 0:25:01The car was clearly on fire.
0:25:02 > 0:25:04They both scramble out of the vehicle,
0:25:04 > 0:25:08and Richard begins filming the burning car with his phone.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11This is that footage.
0:25:11 > 0:25:12As soon as we got out of the car,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14the fire was literally inside the car,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16and it was going up very, very fast.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19There was a lot of flames and black smoke.
0:25:20 > 0:25:22They've escaped from the car,
0:25:22 > 0:25:24but Richard is aware the danger hasn't passed.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28We didn't know what to expect, whether there was going to be a big explosion.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31We knew there was a full tank of petrol along with all our shopping
0:25:31 > 0:25:33and some personal belongings in the car.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34And there's something else -
0:25:34 > 0:25:37they've pulled in directly under some trees.
0:25:40 > 0:25:42Some of the trees have now caught fire.
0:25:42 > 0:25:46We thought that we're going to set the countryside alight as well.
0:25:46 > 0:25:50Richard tries to call the fire brigade but there's a big problem.
0:25:50 > 0:25:52I didn't know what the number was.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55I was looking around for other people to help me to call
0:25:55 > 0:25:57the fire brigade. There was some urgency.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59It wasn't just the car.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03A local man approaching in his car sees the fire and is forced to pull
0:26:03 > 0:26:07over. He offers to call the emergency services.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09He spoke in Cypriot to the emergency services,
0:26:09 > 0:26:12and then told us that they were on their way.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Luckily, the fire station is close by.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19There was what appeared to be explosions coming from the car,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23where the tyres had burst and the windows were smashing.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24With every explosion,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28Richard fears the dry and brittle vegetation will catch further,
0:26:28 > 0:26:30threatening the surrounding countryside.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33But within ten minutes, local fire officers arrive.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37They tackled the trees initially, obviously,
0:26:37 > 0:26:40to stop the spread of the fire, and then started to put the fire
0:26:40 > 0:26:41out in the car.
0:26:41 > 0:26:46Haji Christofi is the fire chief in charge of the call-out.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50They extinguished the fire using a water hose.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55If the fire crew hadn't been there in time,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58the fire would have spread to the dry grass,
0:26:58 > 0:27:00the trees and the nearby area,
0:27:00 > 0:27:02and may have put the nearby village in danger.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07The car is left a burnt out shell.
0:27:08 > 0:27:09Speaking to the fire brigade,
0:27:09 > 0:27:12they believed it to be a leaking fuel pipe,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14and so hence the fire spread so quickly.
0:27:15 > 0:27:17It was the fuel that was on fire.
0:27:17 > 0:27:21And so we were driving all the way to our villa and back down to Paphos
0:27:21 > 0:27:23with a leaking fuel tank.
0:27:23 > 0:27:27It's a holiday experience Richard and his friend will never forget.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29I run a health and safety company here in the UK,
0:27:29 > 0:27:34and I'm usually quite switched on to risks and hazards,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36but you let your guard down on holiday.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38It could have been far worse,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and both Richard and his friend count themselves lucky.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45We believe we had a bit of a close call. We literally didn't have any
0:27:45 > 0:27:47spare seconds other than to get ourselves out
0:27:47 > 0:27:49of the car before the fire was inside,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52and so we were lucky to be alive.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05And it's worth remembering the emergency number in Europe
0:28:05 > 0:28:07is different to ours. It's 112. Make a note.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10And see you next time on Close Calls.