• Baby rescued from burning car
• Mother praises bravery of strangers

A British mother thanked two strangers who saved her nine-month-old baby from her car moments before it was engulfed in flames.

Alex McClean, 21, said she was driving on a dual carriageway when her car started smoking, and although she managed to get out, she struggled to open any doors to reach her daughter Lilah.

As the flames spread, Wesley Beynon and his uncle Marc Willding stopped to help. Wesley entered through the driver’s door to get Lilah, while Marc pulled her to safety.

The family reunited with the rescuers on Saturday, and Alex said Lilah will grow up knowing the men who saved her life and that she will never forget their courage.

She explained that the incident occurred while she was taking her children to a playgroup, when the car suddenly lost power.

She added that warning lights came on, so she pulled the car to the side of the road, but moments later it filled with smoke. She tried to open the rear door behind the front seat and the passenger door without success, and in her panic she did not think to try the other side.

Alex said, “I was screaming for help as cars passed by, trying in vain to smash the window with my car keys before calling the police while the bonnet started turning brown. I was hysterical and had no idea what was happening. I thought I was going to lose her.”