Beed: A Scorpio SUV was completely destroyed after it caught fire on the Barshi Road bridge near Someshwar Temple in Beed City early on Wednesday. The driver escaped safely, and no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred around 4 am. According to preliminary information, the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment and immediately got out of the vehicle. Within minutes, the fire spread rapidly and engulfed the SUV.
A Scorpio bearing registration number MH-23-0500 was found completely burnt. Local residents claimed the vehicle belonged to a hotel operator, although officials had not confirmed its ownership at the time of filing this report.
The fire was so intense that the SUV was reduced to a shell before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control. Smoke continued to rise from the engine until around 9 am, attracting a large crowd of onlookers.
As the vehicle caught fire in the middle of the Barshi Road bridge, traffic on the busy route connecting Beed city with its outskirts was disrupted for some time, leading to long queues of vehicles.
After receiving information about the incident, Traffic Police Inspector Vaibhav Patil deployed personnel, including traffic officer Harke Altaf Shaikh, to manage vehicular movement. The burnt vehicle was later removed from the bridge, following which traffic was restored.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined. Police have launched an investigation to ascertain what triggered the blaze.
