Major disaster averted after fire breaks out in tanker carrying 20,000 litres of fuel on busy Pune–Solapur Road

On arriving, firefighters found that the local police had been mobilised and traffic was halted in the area. Apprehending the high risk of a massive explosion, the firefighters acted swiftly and sprayed water from all four sides to prevent the flames from reaching the petrol and diesel compartments. The fire was brought under control, and a cooling operation was carried out to avert any secondary fire.

“Initial information suggests that the tanker driver panicked when the fire broke out in the cabin but managed to jump out and escape safely. The tanker had departed from Loni and was headed to Pune,” an officer said.

Devendra Potphode, Chief Fire Officer, Pune, said major damage was prevented because the fire brigade vehicles reached promptly and the firefighters acted with alertness. “Otherwise, a serious accident could have occurred,” he added.

The operation was led by officers Pramod Sonawane and Nilesh Lonkar, with drivers Narayan Jagtap and Raju Shaikh, team leader Shaukat Shaikh, and firemen Baba Chavan, Chandrakant Navale, Ramdas Lad and Avinash Dhakne.