Fireworks fall onto cars causing mass fire at annual Vegetarian Festival in Phuket

Cars were engulfed in flames when fireworks fell on them during the annual Vegetarian Festival in Thailand.

Dramatic video shows bright crackling flames ripping through the vehicle that was parked on the roadside in Phuket on October 3 evening.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Thanawat Rungruangsakorn of the Mueang Phuket Police Station said they received a report at 8:30 pm.

Firefighters arrived to contain the blaze, which had spread to another car parked nearby. It took 30 minutes to bring the fire under control.

Bystanders said they earlier tried to douse the inferno with extinguishers, but it had spread too quickly. One car was gutted, and another was scorched on its side.

Suphachai, 50, the owner of the wrecked car, said he had driven with his son and grandson to the scene to watch the fireworks display that night.

He said: 'After the event, we were inside the car and I was talking on my phone. Suddenly, we heard a loud bang, but there was still no flame. Moments later, there were sparks exploding at the back of the car. We immediately rushed outside and ran away.

The driver said the heat from his car engine may have ignited some stray firecrackers that had fallen on the vehicle. He believed the flammable material inside, such as silk and mats, contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.

Police were searching for the owner of the other vehicle to inform them of the damages.

The Vegetarian Festival is an annual event mainly celebrated by the Thai-Chinese community in Thailand. During the nine-day celebration, devotees will only eat plant-based food, abstaining from meat, alcohol, and strong-smelling vegetables to purify themselves.

The festival also features gruesome processions where spirit mediums perform acts of self-mutilation to drive away evil and bring good fortune.