Gurugram (Haryana): A Municipal Corporation sanitation truck caught fire near Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway in Gurugram on Sunday morning, triggering panic among commuters. The driver, however, managed to jump out of the vehicle in time and escaped unharmed.

According to eyewitnesses, the sanitation truck was carrying out routine cleaning and garbage collection work in the Rajiv Chowk and expressway area when thick smoke suddenly started emerging from its engine.

The driver immediately pulled the vehicle towards the roadside. Within moments, flames erupted and rapidly engulfed the truck.

Firefighters Bring Blaze Under Control

The fire brigade and local police were alerted following the incident. Fire tenders reached the spot and firefighters brought the blaze under control after an effort.

By then, the vehicle’s engine and cabin had been completely gutted, leaving much of the truck badly damaged.

No loss of life was reported in the incident.

Short Circuit Suspected

A short circuit in the engine is suspected to have caused the fire, according to the preliminary assessment.

The sanitation vehicles have hydraulic systems and several electrical and electronic components. A technical malfunction may have triggered sparking, which then ignited the vehicle.

The presence of garbage and plastic materials is believed to have contributed to the rapid spread of the flames.

Municipal Corporation officials said a detailed investigation would be conducted to establish the exact cause of the fire and take steps to prevent similar incidents in the future.

1.5-Km Traffic Jam on Highway

The incident also affected traffic movement around Rajiv Chowk. Despite it being Sunday, vehicles slowed down on both sides of the busy route as smoke spread and commuters stopped to watch the fire.

A traffic jam of around 1 to 1.5 km developed on the expressway’s service lane, reportedly due to onlookers and people stopping to record videos of the burning vehicle.

Police later used a crane to remove the damaged truck from the road. Traffic movement was fully restored after around an hour.