KOCHI: A moving car caught fire at Chalikkavattom near Vyttila on Saturday morning. But a major tragedy was averted when the driver came out of the vehicle before the fire engulfed the vehicle.The car belongs to Panampilly Nagar resident Raj Caroline. He was going towards Palarivattom when incident happened at around 6.35am.
“We received a call at around 6.46am. When we reached there, the entire car was gutted. The owner said smoke started to appear from the engine bay and later fire spread to the car cabin. Seeing the fire, he immediately came out of the car, stopping it at the roadside near Gold Souk Mall. It was a lucky escape,’’ said T B Ramakrishnan, Gandhi Nagar station officer, fire and rescue service.
There was a roadblock on the NH stretch following the incident. He said drivers must carry portable fire extinguisher in the vehicle to avert such incidents. “A small fire extinguisher cylinder would be helpful in such cases. However, drivers should also learn how to use them. The car cabin is made of materials that can catch fire easily,” he said.