Family's Car Catches Fire Inside Safari Park's Lion Enclosure

A family driving through a Safari park’s lion enclosure faced two lethal dangers; their car was on fire and they were surrounded by lions. INSIDE EDITION has the story.

A car was in flames at a Safari park, while a mom and her two children were trapped inside, but they couldn't move because they were surrounded by lions.

Other tourists watched in horror. According to Huffington Post, one recorded calling for help, saying, “We are in the lion enclosure and there's a car on fire!”

Helen Clements and her children, George and Charlie, were enjoying a day out at a safari park when smoke began pouring out from under the hood.

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In an exclusive interview with INSIDE EDITION’s Paul Boyd, Clements explained, “The next thing we know there were flames and we thought, ‘We just got to get out of here!’”

Rangers shouted at them to stay inside the vehicle because the lions were right there.  At last, rescuers arrived. Clements told INSIDE EDTION, “Another ranger came up by the side of us and he opened the door we literally just jumped into his vehicle and we said, 'We're staying with you!'”

Other tourists were videotaping when the gas tank exploded.

Charlie jokingly told INSIDE EDTION's Paul Boyd, “I was thinking it's going to blow up and we're all going to die.”

“You laugh about it now but at that moment it's deadly serious wasn’t it?” asked Boyd.

"Yes," she replied.

Safari parks can sometimes be dangerous. Fortunately, the lions at the Safari park in England seemed to be as terrified of the fire as the family inside.