A software engineer had a narrow escape after the Mercedes he was driving caught fire near ATS Advantage, a residential complex in Indirapuram, on Tuesday night.
Prateek Kargati, a resident of Niti Khand II, managed to escape unhurt, however, his sedan was gutted. The incident happened at around 11:30 pm on Dr Sushila Naiyar Marg.
According to Prateek, the incident happened while he was returning home from his office in Noida. “As soon as I took a right turn towards Orange County from Kala Patthar Road, a couple of passersby pointed towards smoke coming out of the front of the car. I, immediately, pulled over and got out of the car. I could see flames coming out from the engine of the car,” Prateek said.
As soon as Prateek parked his car near ATS Advantage, noticing fire, guards on duty rushed to his help. “We could see flames coming from the tyres of the car,” said one of the guards.
“Within a few minutes, the car was engulfed in flames, he added.
The guards and passersby tried to douse the flames with water buckets and fire extinguishers. “However, all the efforts went futile in front of the ferocious fire,” Prateek added.
A patrolling unit of police was already present at the site at the time of the incident. They informed the fire department about the incident. “By the time fire officials reached the spot, the vehicle was completely burnt,” Prateek said.
Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered at Indirapuram police station. According to the police, the cause of the fire is not known yet. “We are trying to determine what exactly led to the fire,” said Ashok Upadhyaya, chowki in-charge of Neeti Khand.
Prateek further shared that the car was under insurance and routinely serviced. He works as a software engineer at a private firm in Noida.
