A man was burnt to death when the BMW that he was sleeping in caught fire early this morning (Tuesday, 29th March).
The man, who was believed to be intoxicated, parked his car at the Touch ‘n Go lane, Plaza Tol B on the Sprint Highway in Damansara at about 4am. He then got out of the BMW and moved over to the front passenger seat before falling asleep with the car engine running.
A toll booth employee who witnessed the incident tried to wake the man up by tapping the window but failed to stir the driver. The Star Online quoted Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Mohd Zani Che Din as saying that the car was locked and the windows were shut tight.
An hour later, the car caught fire and the man burnt to death. A total of 2 toll booths were also completely razed by the fire. Selangor Fire and Rescue Department assistant director (operations) Mohd Sani Harul confirmed that 6 firemen were deployed to the scene upon receiving word of the incident.
The identity of the deceased is still unknown but according to NST, a check on the car’s registration number revealed that the car belonged to a man, registered under a Taman Canning address in Perak. Authorities are still investigation the identity of the driver.
Meanwhile, BMW has offered their expertise and assistance in the case probe. In a statement released shortly after the news broke, BMW MD and CEO Han Sang Yun said:
“We at BMW Group Malaysia learnt this morning of an incident where a previous generation BMW vehicle caught on fire at the Toll Gates of the Sprint Expressway which resulted in a fatality.
This is a very unfortunate incident and we are really saddened with what has happened. We sympathise with the victim and the family members affected by the incident.
We understand that at the moment, the cause of the fire has not been ascertained and we at BMW Group Malaysia are open to offering our expertise, cooperation and assistance to the Selangor Fire and Rescue Department as well as the related authorities to investigate the incident thoroughly.”
More details to come.
Sources: The Star (1), NST, Paul Tan, The Star (2) / Featured image from Paul Tan.
