A child is said to have lit fireworks in a car in the middle of the A8 near Stuttgart, causing a fire that injured two people. As a police spokesman said on Thursday, the boy was sitting in the back seat of the car with several sparklers and Bengal lights. Near Stuttgart, he is said to have lit one of the Bengal lights - investigators were initially unable to say exactly how.

The 39-year-old mother noticed the fire on Wednesday afternoon and then drove onto the shoulder. The investigators suspect that she then escaped from the car with her child and escaped outside. However, the two suffered minor injuries. They were taken to hospital with suspected smoke inhalation.

When the emergency services arrived, the car was already fully ablaze. The A8 was closed several times during the subsequent fire-fighting and clean-up work. The damage caused is estimated at around 40,000 euros.

According to information, the fireworks were for a birthday. Sparklers and Bengalos therefore fall under the category of non-licensed fireworks. This means that their use is permitted all year round.