Caught On CCTV: Andhra Man's Beedi Break Sets Ablaze Shops, Vehicles

There's many a slip between the cup and the lip, and much can happen between lighting a smoke and the first drag. A CCTV camera at Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh has captured how a smoker's beedi break sparked a fire that reduced several shops to ash. Thanks to swift action by local residents, further damage was prevented.

The incident took place at Kalyanadurgam town in Anantapur district around 11.30 am this morning.

A man had bought five litres of petrol from a fuel station, but the container reportedly leaked while he was riding a two-wheeler. Petrol spilled onto the road on which several shops were located and vehicles parked.

The CCTV footage shows two men chatting near a shop. Right in front of them is a stream of petrol. One of the men lights a beedi and flicks the burning matchstick. The match lands into the pool of petrol and instantly bursts into a ball of fire. Amid tall flames, the smoker and others in the clip are seen scurrying for safety. Those whose vehicles were parked at the spot are seen trying to remove them before the flames reach the fuel pump. Several shops and vehicles were damaged in the fire.

Careless disposal of still-burning cigarettes and bidis are considered a key cause of fires.

In May, a 28-year-old man suffocated to death at his Kolkata home after he dozed off with a lit cigarette in his hand. According to a report in The Times of India, Saptarshi Mitra was sleeping when the fire started and engulfed his bedsheet and mattress. By the time he woke up and tried to escape, it was too late.