Accidents
Car catches fire while moving on Kardhiq–Delvina road; 37-year-old dies at Trauma Hospital
Maridon Dhuli suffered third-degree burns; a passerby from Saranda put out the flames with his jacket, but the driver did not survive his injuries.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 22, 2026, 10:44 · Updated 12:24 · 2 min read
In brief
- A Volkswagen Touran caught fire Wednesday evening near Skërfica, on the Kardhiq–Delvina road.
- The 37-year-old driver was taken to Saranda and then to Tirana, where he died.
- The cause of the fire is not yet known; police have opened an investigation.
A 37-year-old man has died at the Trauma Hospital in Tirana after the vehicle he was driving caught fire while moving on the Kardhiq–Delvina road. The victim is Maridon Dhuli, who according to Euronews Albania is a resident of the village of Fterra.
The incident happened Wednesday evening near a place called Skërfica. The vehicle, a Volkswagen Touran, was suddenly engulfed in flames, and the cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
The passerby who stepped in
According to reports, a passerby from Saranda with the initials S.A., who was traveling from Tirana, stopped at the scene and used his jacket to put out the flames on the driver's body. He also alerted the hospital and the traffic police.
The 37-year-old, who had third-degree burns, received first aid at the Saranda emergency room. Because of his serious condition, he was transferred by ambulance to the Trauma Hospital in Tirana, where it was confirmed Thursday that he had not survived his injuries.
The investigation
Firefighters were needed to put out the fire in the vehicle. Police have opened an investigation to determine what caused the fire.
The Kardhiq–Delvina road, completed in recent years, is the main route linking Gjirokastra and Saranda and carries heavy traffic, especially during the tourist season.
SUV falls from bridge on Fier–Lushnja highway
Overnight into Thursday, around 1 a.m., another serious crash occurred on the Fier–Lushnja highway, near the Kolonja roundabout. The driver of an SUV lost control, the vehicle went through the metal guardrails and fell from the bridge into a canal about five meters below. Lushnja firefighters and emergency staff pulled a married couple from the vehicle, and they were taken to Lushnja hospital with multiple injuries. According to the traffic police, high speed and asphalt wet from the rain are suspected as the causes of the crash.
