Two Strangers Pull 9-Month-Old From Burning Car Seconds Before It Was Engulfed

A mother from Ebbw Vale, Wales, is thanking two strangers after they rescued her nine-month-old daughter from a car that began to smoke and then erupted in flames.

Alex McClean, 21, was driving on a highway at about 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 14, when she noticed smoke coming from the vehicle. She told the BBC that she exited the driver’s side, closed the door behind her and ran to the rear passenger side to retrieve her daughter, Lilah — but the rear door would not open.

Panicked, McClean said she screamed for help and tried to smash the windows with her keys as smoke and heat built inside the car.

“I was hysterical and had no idea what was going on. I thought I was going to lose her,” she told the BBC.

Two local men, Wesley Beynon, 39, and his uncle, Marc Willding, 58, were driving by and stopped after seeing the scene, which Wesley described as “horrifying.” Wesley managed to enter the car through the driver’s side and reached Lilah, handing the baby to Marc, who then pulled her out to safety.

GettyHighway in Wales

Wesley said they could see flames through the windshield when they got into the vehicle.

“Around 30 seconds to a minute later, it was engulfed. We were in the right place at the right time. Instinct just took over,” he told the BBC.

McClean has since reunited with Wesley and Marc to thank them in person. She told the BBC she was especially grateful because other motorists had driven past without stopping. She called the two men “real lifesavers” and said she will make sure her daughter grows up knowing the story of the strangers who saved her life.

Wesley urged anyone who encounters someone in danger to stop and help when it is safe to do so:

“You could potentially change somebody's life as we have just done,” he said.

The rescue was reported by the BBC and later covered by other outlets including People.