BMTC bus catches fire in Bengaluru, narrow escape for 25 passengers

This is the second such incident in Bengaluru involving a BMTC bus in less than two weeks.
BMTC bus catches fire in Bengaluru
BMTC bus catches fire in Bengaluru
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Twenty-five passengers of a BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) bus in Bengaluru had a narrow escape when the bus caught fire near South End Circle in Jayanagar on February 1, Tuesday afternoon. This is the second such incident in the city involving a BMTC bus in less than two weeks. Visuals of the incident show massive flames and plumes of smoke engulfing the bus. Luckily, nobody was injured in the incident as passengers, the driver and the conductor hurriedly got out of the bus in time before the fire destroyed the bus. 

According to the police, the bus had reached Nanda theatre when the driver Kemparaju noticed smoke coming out from under the engine bonnet. He then immediately alerted conductor Mantappa and asked the passengers to alight from the vehicle. In the meantime, one of the passengers called the fire control room and a fire engine was pressed into service. 

An official from the fire fighting services told the Times of India that as per the driver Kemparaju, there initially was smoke coming out from the bonnet and the fire engulfed the bus later. Jayanagar police have taken up a case regarding the incident. Police suspect that the bus caught fire due to a short circuit in the batteries, and an expert report is awaited to ascertain the exact cause. 

A BMTC official told the Deccan Herald that the bus was procured in 2014 from a leading manufacturer and was in regular operation amidst the pandemic after the easing of restrictions.  

On January 21, a BMTC bus had caught fire near Makkalakuta, Chamarajpet, and around 40 passengers had escaped unhurt in that instance. The bus, attached to Deepanjali Nagar depot, was headed towards K R Market when the driver noticed thick smoke coming out of the engine. He immediately brought the bus to a halt and alerted the passengers to get off. The fire soon spread to the front section of the vehicle and a few passenger seats. Fire emergency personnel were called, who arrived at the spot and put out the fire. 

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