Police and DFES extinguish Northbridge car fire

Police patrolling Northbridge overnight found themselves adopting a different role — that of firefighter.

A car which was parked along James Street opposite The Brass Monkey burst into flames about 3.40am.

Officers who were on duty nearby arrived to find the front of the vehicle almost engulfed by the fire.

They quickly jumped into action and were able to partially put out the blaze with an extinguisher before firefighters arrived.

A DFES spokeswoman said firefighters then extinguished the fire completely.

She said authorities were not treating the incident as suspicious, saying it was believed a discarded cigarette may be to blame for the fire.