As Rob Reid watched his car go up in flames in front of him, a member of the public held him back to stop him racing to save his belongings.
Reid was the owner of the vehicle which caught fire in the carpark of Cliff Dental in Castlecliff on January 13.
A fire investigator said the fire has since been deemed not suspicious and that it started within the car's engine bay.
Reid was taken to hospital afterwards, suffering from smoke inhalation and minor burns.
He lost his job and accommodation earlier this year and used the Covid-19 wage subsidy to purchase a van to live in.