A 30-year-old driver of a tanker lorry, that was carrying bitumen tar, escaped unhurt after the vehicle caught fire near Arakkonam town on Wednesday.Police said that workers were carrying out welding to connect a pipeline between the tanker lorry and a tank to transfer the liquid tar. A spark led to the fire, and the driver, Santhosh, a native of Manali in Chennai, jumped out of the vehicle to escape the blaze. Staff at the tar plant alerted the fire and rescue services officials from Arakkonam, who rushed to the scene and put out the flames. The incident occurred around 7.45 a.m.Firefighters battled for over an hour to bring the flames under control. However, the tanker lorry was completely gutted. A case was registered by Arakkonam Taluk police, and further probe is under way.Published - October 09, 2025 05:45 am IST