A truck carrying several hundred beer bottles in Andhra Pradesh caught fire on Monday afternoon near Nandyal in Kurnool district, gutting the cargo on board the vehicle. Police suspect that the fire started in the engine but spread through the vehicle quickly as the flames caught on to the liquor in the bottles.
While the vehicle was immediately brought to a halt on the side of the road, the incident resulted in many bottles exploding, sending glass pieces flying in every direction. The incident took place close to the office of the Road Transport Authority (RTA) in Nandyal.
The driver of the truck, who jumped out as soon as he noticed the smoke and later attempted to put out the fire, was injured. He was shifted to the nearest government hospital to treat his burn injuries. Speaking to reporters, he said that the truck was coming from Hyderabad after picking up the load from a distillery in Sangareddy district.
The Nandyal Prohibition and Excise circle inspector Lalita Devi told reporters that 1,300 cartons carrying 15,600 bottles were gutted in the incident, which resulted in an estimated loss of goods worth Rs 15 lakh. The vehicle was also completely destroyed in the fire.
While the cause of the fire is yet to ascertained, police suspect that excessive heating up of the engine may have led to the incident.
Earlier this year, a man was burnt alive in Hyderabad after the car that he was driving on the city’s Outer Ring Road (ORR) caught fire near Sultanpur village in Sangareddy district’s Ameenpur mandal. Visuals of the incident showed the car, parked on one side of the road, even as locals filmed it. The deceased was identified as Ganta Venkata Giri, who resided in Bowranpet and worked as an Assistant Manager at the Gangavaram Port’s office in the city. He was on his way to work in Banjara Hills when the incident occurred.
Agencies
