Five passenger cars caught fire in an outdoor parking lot near a residential complex in Astana's Sarayshyq district, leaving a man — the owner of two of the burned vehicles — severely injured, infohub.kz reports.
The victim is in intensive care with third-degree burns. Doctors describe his condition as serious.
"His legs, face, stomach — in short, he was burned too. They just managed to pull him out. He wanted to drive that car away, to save it. He drove out, there was a car parked here, and he crashed into it in a hurry, I think. He probably didn't see it — everything was covered in smoke," witnesses said.
Police believe an electrical short circuit occurred during a remote engine start in one of the cars. According to witnesses, the vehicle where the fire began actually rolled forward and collided with an Elantra parked ahead. The Hyundai, incidentally, was about half burned. Reports say only charred metal frames remain of the other cars.
Police are now determining the extent of the damage and who will be required to compensate for it.
Recall that the day before in Astana, firefighters extinguished a fire involving five passenger cars. The vehicles caught fire in an outdoor parking lot near a residential complex in the Sarayshyq district.
"By the time the first fire crews arrived, all the cars were already ablaze with open flames. Due to strong winds, the fire quickly spread to nearby parked vehicles," the Ministry of Emergency Situations said.