Phuket City Municipality officials at 8.10am on Sunday (July 31) were alerted that a car was on fire on Tilok Uthit 2 Rd in the area of the Expo shopping complex, and dispatched two fire trucks to the scene.
At the scene, there was a large crowd looking on from a safe distance as flames from out of the engine compartment of a compact blue car with Bangkok plates.
After successfully dousing the fire, investigators spoke with the owner of the car, who was not named.
The man revealed that earlier that morning he, along with his servants, had driven the car from his home on Koh Sireh, to the Kaset fresh market to buy vegetables and other food, and was on his way back when he noticed smoke emerging from the engine compartment, on the driver's side.
He then made an emergency stop on the road shoulder, ordering his servants out of the car while notifying authorities.
The man told investigators that he had used the vehicle for more than 20 years and had serviced the vehicle every six months, but was convinced that the cause of the fire was an electrical circuit inside the engine compartment.
No third party damages or injuries have been reported.