Journalist Jessica Rowe and her daughter Allegra made a narrow escape after their car burst into flames on Thursday afternoon.

Rowe was driving her daughter to her Rose Bay school in Sydney, when she began to notice her car slowing down and struggling to get up a hill. She told Studio 10 on Friday morning that she and her daughter began to smell smoke so she stopped the car in the middle of Sydney’s busy New South Head Road.

Within seconds a nearby school bus driver named Miev who had seen smoke billowing from underneath the car came running over, telling the pair to get out just in time, as flames quickly engulfed the vehicle.

Dramatic video footage taken by a passer-by at the scene shows flames streaming over the bonnet and windshield. Emergency crews attended the scene, however, it is still unknown what caused the fire.

Rowe’s husband and fellow journalist Peter Overton told 2GB on Friday morning he was “absolutely traumatised”, and rushed to be by his family’s side when he heard what had happened, which is why he was absent from the Nine News desk on Thursday night.

“Everyone at work could see that I was absolutely traumatised when I saw my 14-year-old on FaceTime absolutely inconsolable,” he said. “I saw in the background the car ablaze.

“When Allegra rang me, just to see her absolute state of despair, that’s why I can’t wait to see her. I don’t care about the car,” he said. “They’re all okay and they’re home now. There was a real fear that the car could’ve exploded.”

Rowe later took to Instagram with a heartfelt message thanking the “fast thinking and kind school bus driver”.

“We’re safe and sound! Thank you for all of your kindness and love. Thank you to the thoughtful, fast thinking and kind school bus driver Mev [sic] who got us out of the car, called the fire brigade, cleared the road and then stayed to drive us home,” she captioned the post.

“Thank you to the police and paramedics who are angels. And the tow truck driver! And the mums and dads who stopped to help. We love you.”