A car driver and two other occupants had a close shave when the vehicle by which they are travelling caught fire on NH-21 near the Nuagaon over-bridge in Bhanjanagar of Ganjam district on Tuesday.
According to sources, the car driver Panchanan Nayak and two others sitting occupants managed to get down from the vehicle before it was engulfed by the fire.
The intensity of the fire was so high that the vehicle was completely gutted by the time Fire Service personnel reached the spot to douse the flames, added sources.
Vehicular traffic on the NH was adversely affected as hundreds of vehicles were stranded on both sides.
Though it is yet to be ascertained what sparked the fire in the vehicle, police have launched an investigation into the incident.