CHENNAI: A couple shopping at the flower market inside the Koyambedu market complex was lucky enough to escape with their lives, after their car went up in flames on Thursday .Parthasarathy (55), a resident of Mylapore, had come to the market early on the morning of Vijayadasami for bulk purchase of flowers for the festival. After completing their purchases, they returned to their Hyundai i10 (TN 22 BZ 7094) and he attempted to start it. “It did not start despite my trying repeatedly,” recalls the senior employee of Ashok Leyland. “Then we noticed that thick black fumes were coming from the engine,” he added. Instantly, the elderly couple got out of the car and within minutes, flames began to engulf the engine. The Koyambedu police said that the fire started at 7.20 am. “When we first saw it, we thought that it was just a radiator without water and laughed about it,” said Rajalingam, whose shop was directly opposite where the car burned. Only after the flames started to consume the vehicle did the vendors crowd around and attempt to help put it out, he said.“There was a slight explosion when the fuel tank caught fire but otherwise, all the other people around were moved away quickly so there was no harm done,” recounted Parthasarathy. The firemen from the M26 station arrived shortly after and managed to contain the flames, but not before the hatchback was a blackened mess. Kandavelu, a truck driver who was also there, said that despite the ground being wet, the fire spread across the car very quickly.The car was purchased in 2008 and after an initial probe, the cops attributed the fire to an electrical fault. The owner himself though relieved at having escaped an accident, was confused about the cause of the fire.
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