A tanker loaded with chemicals overturned and caught fire near the Kanakapura toll plaza on NICE Road on Sunday afternoon, while travelling towards the city from Anjanapura. Reports say it was carrying xylene, a solvent widely used in paints and coatings, in several separate tanks.
The fire department’s control room was alerted around 12.30 pm, and seven fire tenders were sent to the spot. According to the original report, the blaze was brought under control after about an hour and a half and took more than five hours to put out completely, because of the solvents on board. Police said a tyre burst, making the driver lose control before the tanker overturned and caught fire. The driver and his assistant reportedly escaped with minor injuries, and no other casualties were reported.
The incident brought traffic on NICE Road to a near standstill for several hours, with a queue of roughly 5 km building up on the Anjanapura side. Another outlet put the tailback at 8 to 10 km and placed the spot near a Puravankara apartment complex close to the Silk Institute side of the Kanakapura Road connection. Talaghattapura traffic police diverted vehicles and eased the congestion before normal movement resumed.