A truck carrying a large consignment of 158 sacks of chillies caught fire after it came into contact with a high-tension power line in Gondal Kolithad, Gujarat. The fire broke out as the truck passed over a river and touched an 11-kilovolt high-tension wire, causing the sacks to catch fire. The truck, which was carrying a substantial consignment worth lakhs of rupees, kept moving for 10 kilometers as the flames spread.
Fire Spreads and Truck Keeps on Moving: The video of the accident was very dramatic. It could be seen in the video that the truck continued to move as its cargo caught fire. People ran behind the truck to stop it, hoping it would not travel any further to cause more damage. The truck travelled for 10 kilometers before finally stopping. During this time, the fire had already destroyed most of the sacks of chillies.
Truck Stops and Overturns: Upon stopping, the driver realized the severity of the situation. As a result, the truck overturned, leaving the entire consignment to burn uncontrollably. The fire completely destroyed the load of chillies, causing a massive financial loss.
Fire Brigade Arrive at the Situation: The fire brigade from Gondal moved swiftly to reach the scene where they tried to suppress the fire as much as they could. With all their valiant efforts, nothing could be done to the conglomeration of chillies that had totally been destroyed beyond repair because of a high price consignment.
No Injuries Reported: Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. The driver and others present were safe, though the fire was intense.
Owner and Losses: The consignment of chillies belonged to a businessman from Rajasthan, and the loss is estimated in lakhs of rupees. The chillies were meant to be delivered to a market, but the entire consignment was gutted in the fire.
Possible causes and future precaution: The nearness of transport routes to the high-tension power lines gives cause for alarm. Authorities would investigate if clearances were correctly put in place and whether it was the height of the truck or the position of the wire that led to this accident. On the other hand, this incident points out how safety standards must be looked at in vehicles as well as in electric infrastructure in that region so no such incident could occur in the future.
There were no casualties in the fire incident, but it has cost the businessman heavily in terms of finance. The authorities are to investigate the incidents and take appropriate measures to avoid such incidents in the future, particularly in high-risk areas near electrical infrastructure.