Bhubaneswar, Oct. 10 -- The driver of a private ambulance that caught fire at Udala Medical in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district has reportedly explained how the blaze started and how the patient died despite being rescued from the burning vehicle.

Ambulance driver Bikash Pradhan reportedly shared the sequence of events before the Motor Vehicle Inspector (MVI) on Friday.

According to his statement, the patient was placed inside the ambulance and was receiving oxygen when a wire beneath the basin inside the vehicle suddenly caught fire. The flames then reached the oxygen pipe, causing an alleged leak and intensifying the fire.

Pradhan said he managed to bring the patient out on a stretcher from the burning ambulance. However, the patient die...