Thane: Car catches fire near Shilphata-Mahape road; 3 occupants escape unhurt

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On Sunday night, three people had a narrow escape when a car they were travelling in caught fire in Thane.

According to the official, the car was completely damaged in the incident. No person was injured in the incident.

Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi said, "At 11.47 pm, when the car was passing through Shilphata-Mahape road, the driver noticed smoke coming out and immediately halted the vehicle."

As per the information, the driver alighted and asked two other male occupants of the car to also get down.

"The car burst into flames minutes after the three persons got out of the vehicle," the civic official informed.

"After being alerted, local firemen and the disaster management cell team rushed to the spot and put out the blaze in about 15 minutes," the official added.

Meanwhile, Fifty-nine turtles have been rescued from an artificial pond at a temple in Maharashtra's Thane district.

The Thane forest department in a joint operation with Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW) rescued the turtles on Saturday, he said.

"Out of the 59 turtles, 22 were native species such as Indian flap-shell, black pond and Indian tent turtles, which are protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the remaining 37 were red-eared sliders, an exotic species," Pawan Sharma of RAWW said.

The turtles were examined by veterinarians at RAWW. The native species will be released into the wild, said Ashok Kateskar, round officer, Thane forest department.

"People buy exotic turtles from the market when they are small and easy to maintain. But when they grow old and big, they become difficult to look after and people abandon them in natural or artificial waterbodies, which is unethical and illegal," Sharma said.

(with inputs from PTI)