Fuel tanker catches fire on Aarey flyover in Goregaon, traffic on WEH affected
The tanker caught fire on the north-bound lane of Oberoi Mall flyover, following which both sides were shut for traffic (Picture Courtesy: Sohan Chodankar)
Traffic on the busy Western Express Highway (WEH) came to a grinding halt during peak hours on Monday after a fuel tanker caught fire on Aarey Flyover in Goregaon.
According to eye-witnesses, the tanker was plying on the north-bound road towards Borivali when it went up in flames around 9:30 am on the flyover adjacent to Oberoi Mall and Westin Hotel.
After Mumbai Police was notified about the incident, a team from the traffic police and Mumbai Fire Brigade were dispatched to the spot.
“Our staff is on the spot for further help. We have also informed Fire Brigade & the Main Control Room for further support,” Mumbai Police said in response to one of the tweets about the mishap.
Initially, traffic on the north-bound road was stopped. However, after the two fire engines arrived, traffic movement on both sides was completely halted as officials worked on dousing the flames.
Incidentally, the arrival of the fire brigade was also delayed due to congestion at the start of the bridge.
As of publishing this report, no casualties have been reported and the fire has been brought under control. “Fire has been doused and the situation is under control,” Mumbai Police said.
However, given that WEH is among the most traffic-prone highways in the city, thousands of motorists had to brace for long queues earlier. Many affected motorists also took to social media to complain about the situation.
According to one motorist, the queue extended well over 2 km towards Malad as of 10:15 am. However, officials were present to ease the traffic flow.
“Traffic is moving slow due to fire caught to Truck at Oberoi Mall Bridge, Goregaon. Our team is on the spot to ease the traffic,” officials added. Although traffic movement has resumed as of now, it will take some time for the flow of return to normalcy.
.@MumbaiPolice please send fire brigade asap near Westin flyover . One petrol tanker is on fire in the middle of a bridge. pic.twitter.com/Djw3RRbi4T
— Harsh Y Mehta (@harshf1) May 27, 2019
Meanwhile, details about what caused the tanker to go up in flames are awaited.
