UP: Ambulance catches fire; CNG tank explosion triggers panic, disrupts traffic

Gorakhpur (UP), Oct 12 (PTI) A moving ambulance caught fire on Sunday afternoon in Gorakhpur, sparking panic among locals, police said.

The incident occurred around 3 pm on the Sonbarsa overbridge along the Kushinagar Highway when the ambulance, driven by Santosh Kumar from Varanasi, was transporting a patient, Neelam Devi, a resident of Champaran, Bihar, back home from a hospital.

Preliminary inquiry suggests that the fire broke out due to a short circuit in an air conditioner, quickly engulfing the vehicle in flames.

Acting swiftly, Kumar stopped the vehicle and, with help from locals, managed to rescue the patient and her two relatives. Soon after, the fire intensified, leading to a powerful blast in the CNG tank, officials said.

The explosion triggered widespread panic among bystanders and disrupted traffic on the busy highway for nearly an hour.

Two fire tenders and police personnel led by Station House Officer (SHO) AIIMS Sanjay Mishra rushed to the spot. After half an hour of effort, firefighters managed to douse the flames. The police later cleared the vehicle from the road, restoring traffic flow.

No one was injured in the incident, and the patient and her family continued their journey in another vehicle, Additional Superintendent of Police (SP) City Abhinav Tyagi said. PTI COR ABN ANM ABN ANM MPL MPL