Pune : Car set ablaze on Mumbai-Bangalore Highway, zero casualties reported
PUNE:Â On August 17th at approximately 12 pm, a Renault car caught fire near the service road in the Balewadi area on the Mumbai-Bangalore Highway. Fortunately, a major accident was prevented as all five occupants of the car were able to safely exit the vehicle after noticing smoke.
As per the information provided, Rituraj Patil and Tanmay Shelke, both students at MIT College in Kothrud, had gone on a sightseeing trip to Lonavala on Wednesday, August 16. They had rented a car from Kothrud for their journey and Tanmay was driving the car.
After a staycation in Lonavala, on the morning of August 17th, a noise was heard from the car’s bonnet, prompting Tanmay to take car aside and check. It was then discovered that the car’s bonnet had become loose. While the group was en route to Kothrud on the Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway, they sensed a burning smell near Wakad.
Subsequently, as they turned towards Balewadi along the highway, thick smoke emerged from the car’s bonnet. Acting quickly, all the friends got off the car just before it caught fire. They attempted to extinguish the fire using water from a nearby tea stall, which was erupted by petrol causing fire to increase. Fortunately, everyone managed to escape the car without sustaining any injuries.
After learning about the incident, fire station officer Shivji Memane, along with firemen Kisan Tarpade, Chandrakant Burud, assistant Saurabh Parkhi, Vishal Madhe, and driver Shubham Karande, rushed to the scene and successfully extinguished the fire.
Unfortunately, the car was completely destroyed in the incident, resulting in a large gathering of people and significant traffic congestion. An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway, with Assistant Inspector Rajkumar Kendre of Chaturshringi police Station.
