Some repair work had been done and a mechanic and a flight engineer tried to start the engines. Suddenly a fire erupted in the no. 2 engine and both crewmembers fled from the aircraft without following the correct emergency procedures. It is said that a.o. the fuel pumps were operating at high pressure. The fire spread, destroying part of the fuselage. The airport fire fighting services were practicing elsewhere on the airport and failed to reach the scene in time. A local newspaper argued that the aircraft might have been set afire deliberately because a plastic bottle was found in the no. 2 engine, containing a fuel, apparently kerosene, different from the gasoline used by the DC-6B. The aircraft had been insured for USD 360,000.