ARAU: Man narrowly escaped death when the tanker truck he was driving caught fire at KM1 Jalan Ulu Pauh-Padang Besar, near Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) Pauh Putra Campus, here yesterday.
Arau district police chief Superintendent Ahmad Mohsin Md Rodi said the incident is believed to have occurred around 11.20pm, but they only received information around 12.15am.
"When policemen arrived at the scene, they found a tanker truck engulfed in flames being extinguished by firefighters who arrived earlier at the scene.
"The vehicle was transporting cooking oil from Seberang Perai and was en route to Padang Besar.
Initial investigations conducted by the Fire and Rescue Department said the fire is believed to have originated from a technical problem or wiring issue inside the tanker truck," he said when contacted today.
He said their initial action was to control traffic in the area to prevent any accidents involving other vehicles passing along that road.
"No fatalities were reported, and our officers continued to control traffic in the area to prevent any unwanted incidents.
"In addition, the control measures were aimed at facilitating firefighting efforts by the fire department.
"So far, the truck driver has not yet come forward to make a police report," he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesman from the state's Fire and Rescue Department said they received a distress call at around 11.24pm and 11 personnel from Arau Fire and Rescue Station arrived at the scene about 17 minutes later.
"In addition, they were assisted by 11 personnel from Padang Besar Fire and Rescue Station and five members from the Padang Besar volunteer fire brigade, while the fire engulfed the entire front section of the truck.
"However, there were no casualties involved, and the fire was fully controlled around 12.40am," he said.
