Cars catching fire send chills down the spine

Hyderabad: An increase in incidents of moving cars catching fire is being witnessed on the city roads in recent times, with these accidents endangering lives of not only of occupants of the car but also of other citizens. In the last 10 days, at least five incidents were reported in and around the city including […]

Hyderabad: An increase in incidents of moving cars catching fire is being witnessed on the city roads in recent times, with these accidents endangering lives of not only of occupants of the car but also of other citizens.

In the last 10 days, at least five incidents were reported in and around the city including on the Outer Ring Road and in Secunderabad, Mailardevpally and Alwal.

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In all these instances, occupants of the car escaped unhurt due to timely action and presence of mind. However, not everyone is lucky. A few weeks ago, a doctor was charred to death when his car caught fire at Abdullapurmet on the Outer Ring Road while in a separate case, a woman police constable died due to burns sustained when her scooter caught fire in Malkajgiri.

Regional Fire Officer V Papaiah said the fire spreads so rapidly that by the time a firefighting team reaches the spot, the vehicle is fully or partially gutted. Some of the factors triggering fires in moving cars were over-speeding, long distance travels and loose wiring.

In cars that used for long distance travel, there should be a portable fire extinguisher.
“If there is a fire extinguisher, it will always come in handy during a crisis and the damage is minimised. People generally do not pay heed to it,” said Papaiah.

A senior Traffic Police official said that police patrol vehicles always carry portable fire extinguishers that come in handy to douse flames.

“Whenever there is a fire accident, the local traffic police rush to the spot and keep away other motorists from going anywhere near the burning vehicle to minimize damage and casualties.

“There are instances when police personnel evacuated people from the cars,” he said.
According to automobile experts, one of the reasons for cars catching fire was the alteration of wiring in the car and improper handling of the electric wiring system.

“People visit unprofessional mechanics to get the music system or lighting system installed and in such situations, there is scope of short circuits and fire incidents. Fuel leakages should also be plugged in time,” he explained.

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