Howrah, 10 January (H.S.): An oil tanker travelling towards Bagnan suddenly caught fire on Friday night on the service road adjacent to the national highway near Dhulagarh crossing under Sankrail police station in Howrah district. Four lorries and a bus passing by were also engulfed in the flames. The fire quickly intensified, and one by one, all the vehicles were completely destroyed. Seeing the fire, local residents gathered at the spot and immediately informed the police.

On information, the police from Sankrail police station, traffic police, and four fire tenders reached the scene. Firefighters brought the fire under control after about an hour and a half of strenuous effort. Due to the incident, traffic on the service road remained completely closed for a considerable time.

According to the police and fire department sources, all four lorries and the bus were completely gutted. However, there were no reports of any casualties in the incident. Later, the burnt vehicles were removed from the road, and traffic was restored.

Howrah City Police Commissioner Praveen Kumar Tripathi said, The accident originated from the oil tanker, but the fire was brought under control in time.

Currently, Sankrail police are investigating the cause of the fire. Local residents said that the sight of the vehicles burning continuously created a panic in the area, but a major accident was averted due to the prompt action of the fire department.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey