Car bursts into flames, man charred

NEW DELHI: A 30-year-old man was charred to death when his car suddenly burst into flames on Azadpur road. The man, Pradeep Arora, was employed as a sales manager with a leading telecom company.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained, but experts attribute the incident to short-circuit.
The fire broke out around 11:30 am on Azadpur-Mukundpur Road when Pradeep was driving down to meet a senior colleague.Later, he was scheduled to take his pregnant wife to hospital.
An eyewitness said the victim was driving in the service lane when the fire broke out in the rear of the car. The flames swiftly engulfed the vehicle. Pradeep, who was trapped inside the car, tried to wriggle out, but failed.
Before passers-by could rush to his aid or douse the fire, he was charred to death inside the vehicle. The rear windshield of the car cracked in the heat and fell apart.
“We received a call around 11:45 am and police rushed to the spot. Police and forensic experts have collected samples from the site. Once we get the autopsy report, we will know the cause of death and how the fire was triggered,” said Meenu Chaudhary, DCP, northwest.
Fire department officials said they got an SOS call at 11:40am from a passerby, Aman Juneja.
Speaking to TOI, Aman said, “I was on my way to college when I saw the burning car. I stopped to check and immediately dialed 101. The huge ball of fire and billowing smoke shut out visibility. We could not see if there was anyone inside the car.”
Police said since they were unable to retrieve any document or identity proof of the man from the burnt car, they tracked down his identity from the licence plate of the vehicle (DL 8C NB 9224). He is a resident of Babarpur in the Seelampur area. The local police station was informed and cops escorted the deceased’s brothers to the tragedy site.
Pradeep’s brother, Sunder Arora, broke down after he identified his brother. “He did not deserve such a gruesome death. We were a happy family. Now, everything is over,” said a shaken Sunder.
Another relative of the deceased, Girish Kohli, who rushed to the spot, said, “We did not inform his wife or mother as they won’t be able to bear the shock.”
“He was a young man and it’s unfortunate that he had to die this way. We have been shocked by the incident,” he said.
When TOI spoke to auto experts, they said it was difficult to ascertain the cause of fire.
Such incidents are triggered by a fuel leak in the engine bay coupled with a short circuit, they said.
Sometimes a crack near the engine or the battery of the car may cause a fire, the said. However, auto experts said, the exact cause can be identified after forensic tests.