A father and his 14-year-old son had a miraculous escape on Sunday when the cement truck they were travelling in suddenly caught fire near Sirul village on the Titlagarh-Bangomunda National Highway (NH-56).
According to R.S. Barik, an official from the Titlagarh Fire Department, the vehicle was returning after unloading a shipment of cement delivered from Khariar to Titlagarh. The driver had briefly pulled over near Sirul village to answer the call of nature. As he stepped out of the vehicle, he noticed thick smoke billowing from underneath the chassis.
A short circuit inside the vehicle’s electrical wiring is suspected to have triggered the blaze, which spread rapidly across the truck.
Upon receiving the emergency alert, a team from the Titlagarh Fire Brigade rushed to the spot and managed to bring the flames under control. In a critical move that averted a catastrophic explosion, firefighters quickly spotted a small LPG gas cylinder inside the cabin and pulled it out safely before the fire could reach it.
The incident carried an extra layer of peril as the driver’s 14-year-old son was accompanying him in place of the regular helper, who was absent that day. Excited to visit Titlagarh, the teenager had persuaded his father to take him along for the trip.
Though both father and son were left thoroughly shaken by the harrowing ordeal, both escaped entirely uninjured. The driver immediately informed the vehicle owner about the incident, and local authorities confirmed that both individuals are safe.
