A 61-year-old man escaped unhurt after the car he was travelling in caught fire, at Pallur village near Arakkonam town in Ranipet on the Arakkonam-Kanchipuram Highway on Wednesday.
The police said K. Ragukumar, a resident of Mitta Kandigai village near Tiruttani town in Thiruvallur, was travelling alone in the car. He was travelling to visit his ancestral property near Arakkonam town. While driving on the highway on his return, he noticed smoke coming out of the bonnet of the vehicle.
Immediately, he stopped the car and came out of it. Based on an alert from him, police and firefighters from Arakkonam town reached the spot. Before they could douse the fire, the car was completely gutted. Police said that a short circuit might be the reason for the accident. A case has been registered. Further investigation is on, police said.
