A minivan caught fire at a fuel station in Coimbatore late on Monday.

The police said the accident took place at a Bharat Petroleum fuel station at Kurichi in the city around 9 p.m. They said the minivan involved in the fire belonged to V. Sangeetha of Ramalinga Nagar on Pollachi Road. T. Surendran, 44, of Muruga Nagar at Kurichi, who is a friend of the vehicle owner’s husband Vadivel, brought the vehicle to the fuel station for refuelling.

It caught fire when Mr. Surendran turned the ignition on after refuelling. Tension prevailed at the place as flames engulfed the vehicle in minutes. The fire was put out in about 40 minutes, said the police.