A major fire broke out in a container truck carrying tyres on National Highway-18 near Betanati in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district on Friday morning, triggering panic in the area.

According to initial reports, the container was travelling from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar and had stopped near Betanati for repair work when the incident occurred. The vehicle was loaded with truck and bus tyres worth lakhs of rupees.

Fire Breaks Out During Repair Work

Sources said welding work was being carried out outside the container when sparks allegedly entered the vehicle and ignited the tyres stored inside.

The driver and mechanic engaged in the repair work reportedly failed to notice that the fire had already started spreading inside the container.

After some time, workers noticed smoke billowing out from the vehicle. When they opened the container door, they found the tyres engulfed in massive flames.

The fire intensified rapidly due to the highly inflammable nature of the tyres.

Also Read: Six killed, four critical as bus hits and drags auto rickshaw in Odisha’s Ganjam

Firefighters Rush To Spot

Following the incident, police and fire services personnel rushed to the spot and launched firefighting operations to bring the blaze under control.

Efforts were underway to prevent the fire from spreading further and to clear the affected stretch of the highway.

Officials said several tyres were completely destroyed in the fire, causing losses worth lakhs of rupees.

Further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.