Kathu Municipality Disaster Prevention and Mitigation officers were informed of the fire at 12:10am (Dec 15).
Firefighters and Kathu Police arrived at the scene, on Phra Barami Rd near the PTT petrol station on the Kathu side of the hill, to see the fire burning intensely from the engine bay at the front of the car.
Firefighters doused the vehicle, taking about 10 minutes to extinguish the fire. By that time, however, the car had been gutted by the flames.
While firefighters were putting out the blaze, traffic was prevented from passing for safety reasons.
The driver, described only as a Police Lieutenant Colonel serving as a Deputy Superintendent of the Patong Police Station, was not injured in the incident.
The car was taken to Kathu Police Station for examination.
The unnamed Police Lieutenant Colonel driver said he was driving home to Phuket Town when he saw smoke coming from the engine compartment, and pulled over, police said.
Police are pretty sure the fire was started by something in the engine bay.