Car Fire at Novi Sad Gas Station: Mother and Child Saved
A car burst into flames at a gas station on the edge of Rumenka while the driver was refuelling. Bystanders pulled a mother and child from the fire before firefighters arrived.
- A car caught fire at a gas station on the edge of Rumenka on July 18, around 5 p.m.
- The vehicle burst into flames while the driver was refuelling at the pump.
- Bystanders pulled a mother and child from the burning car before firefighters arrived.
- Novi Sad firefighters and police prevented a larger explosion; the cause is being determined.
A fire broke out on Saturday afternoon at a gas station on the edge of Rumenka, a suburban settlement near Novi Sad. The car caught fire around 5 p.m., while the driver had stopped to refuel. According to early accounts, the flames spread suddenly.
A mother and child were inside the vehicle. Bystanders who happened to be at the station reacted without hesitation. They managed to pull both of them out of the car before the fire engulfed the cabin. In doing so, they prevented the worst possible outcome.
Thick black smoke rose quickly above the station and was visible from nearby streets. Footage that surfaced online shows the vehicle wrapped in flames, with a fire extinguisher left on the approach. Staff and other drivers moved away from the fire.
How emergency services responded
Novi Sad firefighters and police arrived shortly after the call. Firefighting crews contained the blaze and put out the flames on the car. The swift response, it is reported, kept the fire from spreading to the station’s installations and setting off a larger explosion.
Gas stations are considered high-risk sites. Fuel tanks and transfer points sit close by. Had the flames reached those parts, the consequences would have been far more severe, both for people and for the surrounding houses.
Damage to the vehicle is extensive. Judging by the scene, the car burned almost completely. In the first hours, there was no official confirmation of any injuries to the mother and child. The cause of the fire is being determined, and an on-site inspection is a standard step in such cases.
Why is a fire at a gas station so dangerous?
A fire in an open car park and a fire at a gas station are not the same event. At a station, the concentration of flammable material is high and the room to manoeuvre is small. That is why every flame is treated as a potential chain-reaction hazard.
Emergency services regularly remind drivers of basic precautions. The engine should be switched off while refuelling. Open flames and smoking are banned within the station area. At the first sign of smoke or a fuel leak, the safest move is to step back and call for help at once.
In the Rumenka case, the composure of the people nearby proved decisive. When flames take hold of a vehicle, seconds are often the line between a minor incident and a tragedy. This time, that line was crossed on the right side.
One question returns after every event like this. How ready are we, really, to act when a fire breaks out in the last place we expect on a quiet afternoon?
