Omni van catches fire, triggers panic

An Omni van parked beside the road near Channamma Circle suddenly caught fire triggering panic among the people and motorists on the busy road on Thursday morning. Traffic came to a halt at the busy circle and it had to be diverted until the fire was doused and traffic signals were shut down.

Police said Parashuram Kagalkar from Kolhapur with others was coming to the District Hospital to see his ailing relative along with five other relatives in his Omni Van. When the vehicle came near Channamma Circle its engine stopped and when efforts were being made to restart it, smoke begun to emanate from the rear portion of the van.

Kagalkar and five others immediately alighted the van and it caught fire triggering panic among the pedestrians and other motorists on the busy road during peak hours. Traffic Police near the Channamma Circle immediately diverted traffic as safety measures and shut down the signals.

A fire tender was pressed into service and personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services used one fire tender to douse the fire.

Its suspected that the fire must have been caused by leakage of gas from the cylinder used as fuel for the van, but there was no official word on it.

Khade Bazaar police have registered a case.