Car owner left devastated after his car was torched in blaze that Albany police believe was deliberately lit

A shattered Bayley Haines says his family home was lucky not to go up in flames after his car was destroyed in a suspicious fire on Thursday night. Mr Haines was in bed when his father went outside about 10pm because he heard a noise at the front of their property on Todd Road in McKail. He found his son’s silver Holden Commodore engulfed by fire on the driveway and called triple-0. The blaze took nearly 40 minutes to extinguish and caused significant damage to the front half of the car, including the engine bay, bonnet, dash and front windscreen. Albany police said on Friday they were investigating the fire, which appeared to be deliberately lit, and trying to identify a suspect. Mr Haines was devastated to wake up and find his car had been torched. “There was a 2L cordial bottle thrown over the bonnet that had something flammable in — that’s how it started,” Mr Haines said. “The car is a write-off. “This was my pride and joy, I’ve put everything into this car and spent a lot of money that I won’t get back.” Mr Haines said the quick work of firefighters prevented flames from leaping on to the front garage of their home. “It could have been a hell of a lot worse,” he said. “It could have lit the house on fire if the flames had got any higher or no one noticed it. “There were three of us in the house at the time.” Albany police would like to speak to anyone who saw suspicious activity in the area or has footage that could be relevant to the investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or www.crimestopperswa.com.au.