A huge fire was reported at a petrol pump in Hyderabad on Tuesday as a car went up in flames when it was being refuelled. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The incident took place at an Indian Oil pump in Shaikpet, at around 2 pm on Tuesday, which left a Skoda Superb car totally charred.
Visuals which have surfaced show thick smoke emanating from the car, which is engulfed in flames, even as it is parked dangerously close to a fuel dispenser.
car catches fire shaikpet petrol pump hyderabad pic.twitter.com/ucSjBUyfyc
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According to reports, the driver of the vehicle stepped out of the car when it was being refuelled and immediately a fire was noticed, coming from below the vehicle. The flames quickly spread and the petrol pump was evacuated immediately.
Many onlookers gathered at a distance and even expressed fear that there might be a blast. Traffic on the busy road in front of the pump, that connects Tolichowki and Mehdipatnam to Gachibowli, also came to a standstill.
The staff of the petrol pump dialled '100' and five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Police and personnel of the Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department reached within 10 to 15 minutes and the flames were brought under control and doused quickly.
While the reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained, reports suggest that the vehicle may have been overheated after a long drive. The petrol pump has been temporarily shut for repairs even as the management is yet to estimate the monetary damage caused due to the fire.
In July this year, a mishap had taken place on the same road, close to the petrol pump.
One person was killed and traffic came to a standstill for several hours after a huge crane weighing 150 tonnes, engaged in the construction of the Shaikpet flyover, collapsed.
At the time, the police had said that the crane broke down and overturned while lifting a girder at around 3 am, killing its operator, 45-year-old Gurpreet Singh hailing from Punjab.