BEST bus catches fire, no injuries reported

Mumbai: A Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus heading to South Mumbai via Byculla caught fire near the Nagpada traffic signal on Saturday around 8

Mumbai: A Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus heading to South Mumbai via Byculla caught fire near the Nagpada traffic signal on Saturday around 8.20am. There were no passengers on the bus, only the driver and conductor, when the fire started near the rear right tyres. No injuries were reported. The fire was extinguished after 10 minutes.

HT Image

The bus running on route C-1 of Santacruz depot was on its way from Santacruz to Electric House in Colaba. “When the bus was between Byculla station and JJ Hospital at 8.20am, it caught fire near the Nagpada traffic signal. The staff immediately informed the fire brigade, who doused the fire in 10 minutes,” said a BEST spokesperson.

The bus belonged to wet lease operator Mateshwari. Sources in BEST, however, claimed that this was not a case of fire but probable friction near the tyre, and there was no leakage of CNG. “The reasons are being investigated,” said the BEST official.

This marks the seventh incident of a BEST bus catching fire this year. Earlier this year, there have been at least six incidents of BEST buses catching fire, with the last one in September. Around mid-this year, 400 AC buses were withdrawn after frequent cases of buses catching fire occurred.

Similarly, in Bhiwandi, two buses caught fire in Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Transport (KDMT) workshop depot in Kalyan on Friday night. No casualties have been reported, said a fire official.

The incident took place at the KDMT workshop when the maintenance work was ongoing. The fire was brought under control in one hour. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. A fire official from Kalyan Fire Station said, “We will conduct panchanama and make the statement of the people.”