Patrol vehicle goes up in flames near Tondiarpet

As the fire broke out minutes after the driver parked the vehicle to have his breakfast, none were injured, officials said. The police personnel and workers from the nearby Metro Rail project site put out the fire in 30 minutes. Though the engine part was intact, the rest of the vehicle suffered serious damage. Officials said a short circuit in the battery is suspected to have caused the fire. “The smoke entered the cabin, so nobody knew it until it started burning,” said a sub-inspector.

The vehicle was added to the patrol fleet in 2012 and was used by the law and order wing police to go on the rounds. Forensic experts have collected samples to ascertain the cause of the fire, and the Tondiarpet police has been asked to send a report about the incident to senior officers.