An SUV catches fire on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway in Vellore

A six-member team led by R. Gopala Krishnan, Fire Station Commander, Vellore city, battled the fire for nearly an hour before bringing it under control. | Photo credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A 42-year-old driver escaped unhurt after the scrap vehicle he was pulling caught fire when its tires came into contact with the vehicle’s metal frame on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway (NH-48) at Shenbakkam within Vellore Corporation limits on Friday.

Police said the driver, K. Murugan, a resident of Vellore, managed to disconnect his vehicle from the old SUV before it caught fire. The SUV was towed to a ski slope on the outskirts of Vellore to be scrapped.

Police said smoke was coming from the back tires of the SUV. However, the driver did not notice this and continued to tow the vehicle, subsequently the fire spread to the SUV.

Motorists who noticed the smoke alerted the driver. He immediately steered his vehicle to the side of the road and stopped before disconnecting it from the old SUV.

Local residents alerted Vellore fire and rescue services. A six-member team led by R. Gopala Krishnan, Fire Station Commander, Vellore city, battled the fire for nearly an hour before bringing it under control.

The scrapped vehicle was completely gutted. As there were not many vehicles on the road at the time of the incident around 8.30am, traffic was not affected.

Vellore North police have registered a case and investigation is on.

Published – 17 Oct 2026 0:46 IST