Day after freak accident, experts speculate why car went up in flames

A day after a man was charred to death inside a moving car that went up in flames in Anchepalya on Bengaluru’s outskirts, automobile experts speculated that it could have occurred due to several reasons.

Anil Kumar, 48, a realtor was returning home to Jalahalli on the Tumakuru Road when the incident occurred near the toll around 3.30 pm. The car was completely gutted.

Madanayakanahalli police have filed a case against the car dealer. They are yet to confirm how the fire erupted but said that initial reports suggested a short circuit could have occurred. 

Details from the car dealer showed that the car underwent three services in a span of one year since its purchase in December 2022. The third service is usually done after a car completes 10,000 km and/or a year from the date of purchase, whichever comes first.

A senior automobile engineer, who wished to maintain anonymity, explained that this could have occurred due to several reasons, including a short circuit due to an unauthorised fitting. 

“Every car model has a particular electrical harness. If a customer gets some high-end music system, rear parking sensors, dashboard cameras fixed externally, there is a possibility that the electrician takes shortcuts, which could make the electrical system prone to a short circuit,” he said.

He also pointed towards how any inflammable materials inside the car could have sparked a fire under the heat. “The customer could also have been smoking inside the car; we can’t be sure,” he said.

Ken Sunny, an independent automobile expert, said that there was an 80% chance that unauthorised fittings was the reason why the fire broke out. 

“We don’t have a standard regulation about wirings in extra fittings, which means there is no mechanism to check if they are being done properly. The cost for properly fixing extra wiring is also quite high, which leads to many people cutting corners and costs by snapping wires haphazardly,” he said.

Another automobile engineer, who wished to not be named, explained that the car’s lock system could have been jammed, preventing Anil’s escape.

“A fuel leak onto a hot exhaust or debris on the road could have sparked a fire, which could have burned through the electrical system, which shuts the system that controls the locks. If that shut down, it is nearly impossible to get out,” he said.

He also suggested that Anil might have suffocated due to the smoke and heat or could have struggled to free himself from the seat belt in a matter of seconds.

“It is 100 per cent speculative, but if the car was completely charred, it makes it very difficult to pinpoint the exact cause and chain of events,” he said.