Satara: Dumper Catches Fire at Salpe Ghat on Lonand-Satara State Highway, Traffic Disrupted

Maharashtra: A shocking accident took place on  Salpe Ghat on the Lonand-Satara state highway where a dumper truck caught fire on Tuesday, February 18, 2026. The truck was completely gutted in fire, but fortunately no loss of life was reported. Due to this incident traffic on the highway was disrupted for about an hour due to this incident.

According to report dumper truck carrying gravel for highway work from Lonand to Wathar station caught fire at approximately 11 am while traversing the Salpe Ghat towards Wathar. Smoke initially emerged from the engine compartment before quickly escalating into a major fire. The driver immediately pulled over and fled the scene. The fire spread through the dumper's wiring to the diesel tank, resulting in the complete destruction of the cabin.

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The fire caused long queues of vehicles on both sides of the highway. Wathar police responded to the scene and contacted the Sharyu Sugar Factory fire brigade, who extinguished the fire. After that, the traffic was normalized. It is preliminary estimated that the fire in the dumper was caused by a short circuit, and the police are conducting further investigation.