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| Firefighters extinguish a blaze in a BMW 320d near Anyang-Gwacheon tollgate in Gyeonggi Province on the 2nd Gyeongin Expressway about 8:50 a.m. on Thursday. Photos courtesy of Yonhap |
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| It took 15 minutes to put out the fire that destroyed the 320d's engine and front end. |
Two BMWs on separate regional highways caught fire Thursday, adding to a string of similar cases that has prompted a government probe and an apology by the local unit of the German automaker.
One of the vehicles, a BMW 730Ld model, was gutted after a fire broke out in its engine bay on Namhae Highway in Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, about 301 kilometers south of Seoul.
The driver, 44, said he had pulled over to switch seats with his friend and saw smoke coming from the car's exhaust pipe.
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| The BMW 730Ld erupts in flames on Namhae Expressway near Sacheon, South Gyeongsang Province, about 7:50 a.m. Thursday. |
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| It took several minutes to extinguish the fire in the 730Ld, but its body was almost completely burnt out. |
"I went over to check the engine and saw a spark," he said.
Firefighters called to the scene put out the fire in about 10 minutes.
The other BMW, a 320d model, was reported to have caught fire about 8:50 a.m. on a highway in Uiwang, Gyeonggi Province, just south of the capital. No one was hurt but the fire destroyed the car, firefighters said.
Authorities said they are working to determine the exact cause of the incidents. (Yonhap)
