HYDERABAD: A major fire accident was narrowly averted on Friday afternoon at a petrol bunk in Annojiguda, under the Pocharam IT corridor police limits, after a car caught fire on the Hyderabad-Warangal highway. No injuries were reported as the occupants managed to escape in time.Police said the car was travelling from Ghatkesar towards Uppal when it suddenly went up in flames near the petrol station. Even after coming to a halt, the burning vehicle rolled towards the bunk, triggering panic among staff, motorists and nearby residents.
Visuals from the scene showed petrol pump employees and bystanders running for safety as the car, engulfed in flames, moved closer to the fuel station.After the fire subsided slightly, staff members and passers-by used fire extinguishers to put out the blaze and pushed the vehicle away from the bunk, averting a possible disaster. The car was completely gutted. B Raju, station house officer of Pocharam IT corridor, said the fire originated in the engine compartment. “The driver alerted the petrol pump staff, who immediately used fire extinguishers to control the flames. During the process, there was a minor blast inside the car. It appears the driver forgot to apply the handbrake, which caused the vehicle to move forward,” he said. Police said an investigation is under way to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
