Horror moment a car EXPLODES on a residential street in East St Kilda sending huge plumes of smoke above Melbourne

A car was doused with petrol and set on fire on a busy street in Melbourne.

Emergency services were called to Alexandra Street in St Kilda East shortly before 9.30pm on Thursday evening.

Dramatic footage showed the exact moment the car burst into flames with a loud bang.

Photos of the aftermath show the burned-out car.

Local residents heard explosions as black smoke filled the air.

“My roommate and I heard a loud bang and thought someone was slamming the doors to our apartment building,” one woman told Daily Mail Australia.

‘A few minutes later we saw the smoke. It was so close that we could see the sparks. The people across the road could see the flames from their homes and ran into the street.

‘They were afraid their house would be robbed. For a few minutes, several bangs and pops came from the fire.

There’s more to come