Highways England Land Rover Burns Down in the Middle of a Snow Storm

Large parts of Western Europe are paralyzed by several serious winter storms, with freezing temperatures and high winds battering city roads from Spain to the UK.
Air travel is affected as well, with the Geneva airport, expected to receive large numbers of passengers next week for the local auto show, suspending all flights for the second day in a row.

On the British islands, the situation is even more critical as two cold fronts collided on Thursday. A winter storm named Emma joined forces with a polar vortex menacingly named Beast from the East and prompted the authorities to declare a red alert.

On Britain’s M62, a Land Rover Discovery belonging to emergency responders caught fire for an unknown reason as it was attempting to stop people from entering the road. Caught on tape by various motorists, the SUV gets burned to a crisp on a freezing white backdrop.

On Thursday evening, the Brits turned to the Army for help, asking them to coordinate with police and fire rescue workers to help stranded motorists.

“We put the request into the military yesterday, and they decide amongst themselves what they can send out and deploy," Lincolnshire Police superintendent Phil Vickers told Express.

“The military has sent out ten vehicles from RAF Waddington to help with efforts. They’re focussing on getting out to vulnerable people who rely on adult and social care.”

The snow proved a bit too much for the military as well, several of their 4x4s, driven by professional army drivers, found themselves stuck in the snow. Even snow plows on the M26 got snowed in.

Other road incidents in Somerset and Hampshire have also prompted the call for help to the Army. According to the Evening Standard, there were at one point a few thousand people trapped on snowy roads across the country.