AN Ely engineer had a lucky escape after his car burst into flames as he arrived for work.

An employee at Standens on Angel Drove in Ely arrived for work shortly after 6.30am on Saturday when his Peugeot caught fire, engulfing the front end of the vehicle in seconds.

A fire crew from Ely was called to the scene, and the city’s level crossing was closed temporarily while fire-fighters brought the blaze under control.

The driver managed to escape the car without injury before the blaze spread.

Fire-fighters returned to the station little more than an hour later.