A petrol tanker caught fire on the Pune-Solapur highway on Monday morning, November 10, at around 9 am near the signal at the intersection in Shewalewadi, Hadapsar. Fortunately, the tanker driver saved his life by running out of the vehicle on time and a major accident was averted.
According to the information, the tanker was carrying 15,000 litres of petrol and 5,000 litres of diesel. The tanker was heading towards Pune from Solapur. While going, smoke suddenly started erupting from the vehicle. Within a few moments, the front part of the tanker caught fire. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle on the side of the road and ran out.
Visuals From Shewalewadi
The fire spread so quickly that vehicular traffic on both sides of the highway was stopped for a few hours. As soon as the information about the incident was received, the fire brigade and local police reached the spot. After an hour-long effort, the fire was brought under control. Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire was likely caused by a short circuit in the vehicle. Although the tanker was destroyed by fire, there were no casualties.
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A major traffic jam on the Pune-Solapur highway was reported after the incident. The police advised motorist to use an alternative route to reach their destination. Cooling work is still underway at the scene.