“Fire breaks out in a moving ambulance on the expressway; four people, including the patient, narrowly escape unharmed”

A moving ambulance was completely gutted by fire caused by a mechanical fault on the Dhaka–Mawa Expressway. However, thanks to prompt action, four people—including the patient—narrowly escaped unharmed.

The incident occurred at around 3:00 pm on Monday (19 January) in the Mawa-bound lane near the Kuchiamora overbridge on the Dhaka–Mawa Expressway, when a white ambulance suddenly caught fire.

The ambulance was heading toward Magura carrying a patient. As soon as the fire broke out, the driver’s presence of mind and the alertness of the passengers enabled all four occupants, including the patient, to quickly get out of the vehicle, preventing a major loss of life.

Muhammad Shafiqul Islam, Assistant Director of Munshiganj Fire Service and Civil Defence, said that upon receiving the information, two units from the Sirajdikhan Fire Station rushed to the scene and brought the fire under control after about an hour. No casualties were reported in the incident.

According to Fire Service sources, all medical equipment and other belongings inside the ambulance were completely destroyed in the fire.

Preliminary findings suggest that the fire may have originated from a fault in the ambulance’s gas line. However, the Fire Service authorities said the incident is being investigated to determine the exact cause.

Following the incident, traffic on that stretch of the expressway was disrupted for some time, but vehicular movement has since returned to normal and the overall situation is under control.