CUTTACK: A 108 ambulance carrying a paediatric patient caught fire while moving on Kathajodi ring road near Cuttack Netaji Bus Terminal (CNBT) at Khannagar late on Sunday night.
However, swift action by the ambulance driver helped save the sick child, his two female relatives and other staff before the blaze engulfed the vehicle. Around six persons including the driver was in the ambulance when the incident occurred at around 1.30 am.
As per sources, the ambulance was carrying the sick child from Badachana in Jajpur district to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Post Graduate Institute of Paediatrics (SVPPGIP), popularly known as Sishu Bhawan, when thick smoke started billowing out of the moving vehicle. The driver immediately stopped the vehicle and evacuated the occupants. Moments later, the fire spread throughout the vehicle.
On being informed, fire service personnel rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. Later, police helped in taking the sick child to Sishu Bhawan by making alternative arrangement.