A BMW was ablaze during rush hour this morning in an industrial area on the outskirts of the town centre.
A driver working in Coe Street discovered the black 1 Series which was smoking heavily and flaming and called the fire service.
Sean McDonagh, aged 31, said: "I pulled in and saw a lot of smoke, I thought it was someone revving their engine too much, the smoke got thicker and the flames were getting higher. I rang the fire brigade and they were very quick.
"I told the lads in the building to get away."
A spokesman for Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 8.22am to an incident in Coe Street/Cochran Street."
The crew from Bolton Central Fire Station turned out to deal with the blaze.
Mr McDonagh speculated: "[The owner] would have just gone to work I imagine and a fault's kicked off I think.
"It's the first time I've noticed anything like that."
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