Manipur-bound truck catches fire in Kohima

Our Bureau KOHIMA, JANUARY 11 [caption id="attachment_30806" align="alignleft" width="400"] The goods-laden truck which caught fire at Classic Island, Kohima on Sunday.[/caption] [dropcap]A[/dropcap] Manipur bound goods-laden truck (NL01-G 7734) caught fire near Classic Island, Kohima on NH-29 Sunday afternoon at around 1.30 pm. The truck was coming from Dimapur and was on its way to Imphal. The driver of the truck narrated that he initially noticed smoke and small tongues of fire seeping out from under the moving vehicle and hurriedly parked the truck near Classic Island, below the Directorate of Fire & Emergency Services. He said when he got off the vehicle with the handyman to check the problem, they realized the entire lower part of the truck had caught fire by then.Later, two fire tenders from the Kohima Fire Station rushed to the spot and managed to douse the fire. However, the vehicle was completely charred. Police said the truck was carrying kitchen utensils, gas stoves, pressure cookers, sleepers and detachable racks. Police personnel who were present at the scene said the exact cause of the fire as well as the worth of goods lost in the fire are yet to be ascertained. However, they said the fire must have occurred due to short circuit of the loose wires of the old truck (2008 model). No one was injured, but southbound traffic had to be rerouted on a secondary road from the NSF Martyrs’ Park towards Mao Market while the police and fire personnel cleared the scene. Police conducted thorough investigation of the truck and has ruled out any foul play.