Truck fire on Expressway chokes traffic

Updated on: 13 May,2011 06:23 AM IST |
Kaumudi Gurjar |

A truck containing hazardous chemicals caught fire at Bawdhan on Pune-Mumbai highway, creating panic in the area and sending traffic out of gear for around four hours yesterday morning

A truck containing hazardous chemicals caught fire at Bawdhan on Pune-Mumbai highway, creating panic in the area and sending traffic out of gear for around four hours yesterday morning. While the fire fighters were struggling to put out the blaze, a private bus rammed into a road divider as its driver was busy looking at the engulfed truck.

Fire and Smoke: The chemicals truck that caught fire at 4.30 am
yesterday. Pic/Jignesh Mistry

Later, the police had to press a crane into service to shift the bus, which brought traffic to a standstill for hours. Fire brigade officials said the truck (TN 34 D 9660) from Bhiwandi was re route to Pondechery. The truck was carrying the cans of Acrylic Polymer, Hydrogen Peroxide, Phosphoric acid, Zinc Chloride and Calcium Chloride.

Prabhakar Umratkar, a fire brigade official, said, "Some commuters on the highway noticed smoke coming out of the truck and alerted the fire brigade. We reached the spot and doused the flame with the help of foam tender. It took around two hours to put out the blaze," Umratkar said.