Firefighters were quick to arrive at the scene, on Yaowarat Rd, at about 3:30pm and took about 10 minutes to douse the flames while police prevented traffic from passing as a safety precaution.
Only the engine and the front end of the car, a red Citroen registered in Nonthaburi, was damaged.
One rescue worker said, “I heard two explosions coming out from the car.”
A Phuket City Police officer at the scene (name not confirmed) said, “We believed the fire started from an electric short inside the engine bay.
“A witnesses (or “witnesses”) told us that the car was driving along of Yaowarat Rd toward Vachira Phuket Hospital,” said one police officer.
“When the car arrived at the scene it suddenly caught fire. The driver stopped and parked by the side of the road. The driver got out and ran from his vehicle,” the officer added.
Although police reported that they had questioned a “witness”, they did not clarify whether the person they questioned was actually the driver.
Police have yet to confirm the cause of fire.