Between January 2025 and mid-February 2026, Mumbai witnessed as many as 32 cases of vehicles suddenly catching fire, raising serious safety concerns for motorists and disrupting traffic across key routes.
Two of these incidents occurred within the first two weeks of February on the busy Western Express Highway (WEH) during peak hours. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in either case. Officials indicated that electrical short circuits, often linked to wiring problems, were the likely cause.
Recent Incidents
Incident 1
The most recent case took place around 7:20 pm on February 11 on the southbound stretch of a flyover along the WEH in Goregaon East. Police had temporarily opened a counter lane to ease congestion when a car suddenly burst into flames.
Firefighters arrived promptly and extinguished the blaze by 7:40 pm. A crane was later arranged to remove the burnt vehicle, which was parked safely beneath the flyover to clear the roadway.
Incident 2
Earlier, on February 7 at approximately 10 pm, another car caught fire on the northbound arm of the WEH near Vile Parle. Fire services managed to control the flames within half an hour. After the damaged vehicle was towed away, normal traffic flow resumed by 10:35 pm.
Expert Insights
Fire safety specialists suggest that electrical malfunctions are a common trigger for such incidents. One frequent cause is rodents damaging wiring and fuel lines in parked vehicles.
Retired fire officer Rajendra Chaudhary explained that rats often enter vehicles at night and chew through electrical cables and fuel pipes. This can lead to petrol leakage, and if the fuel comes into contact with a hot engine while the vehicle is running, it may ignite.
He also noted that improper modifications or tampering with a vehicle’s electrical system while installing accessories can increase fire risks. Fires involving electric vehicles (EVs) present additional challenges, as they require significantly more time and water to extinguish. Even a small EV fire can consume thousands of litres of water before it is fully controlled.
Meanwhile, Joint Commissioner of Traffic Anil Kumbhare highlighted that battery-related issues are often responsible for fires in electric vehicles. He added that managing such incidents — including extinguishing the flames, cooling the vehicle, and towing it away — can take 30 to 40 minutes. During this time, traffic on the affected stretch comes to a standstill, leading to heavy congestion.
Authorities have urged motorists to ensure regular vehicle maintenance, emphasizing that sudden fires not only threaten drivers but also put other road users at risk.