A BMTC bus caught fire in Bengaluru’s Koramangala at around 9.15 am on Saturday while it was travelling from Hoodi to KR Market, with all passengers safely evacuated and no injuries reported, according to the Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC).
The bus was operated by Depot-15 and was running on its scheduled route when smoke was noticed inside the vehicle. The driver brought the bus to a safe halt and ensured that passengers got off immediately, BMTC said in a statement.
The driver and conductor used the fire extinguisher available on the bus and alerted the Fire and Emergency Services. Fire personnel reached the location and brought the blaze under control, the transport corporation said.
BMTC’s Mechanical Engineering Department has made an initial assessment that a possible electrical short circuit may have caused the fire. The corporation clarified that the exact cause has not yet been established.
BMTC has contacted Eicher, the vehicle manufacturer, and said the company’s technical team is expected to visit on Monday, November 2. The team will conduct a joint technical inspection with BMTC’s engineering personnel.
The inspection is intended to establish the precise cause of the incident and identify whether any technical defects were involved. BMTC said corrective measures would be undertaken based on the findings of the inspection.
The incident places attention on the operational safety systems that come into play when a public bus develops a fault during service. In this case, the bus was stopped after smoke was detected, passengers were evacuated, onboard firefighting equipment was used and emergency services were alerted before the fire was brought under control.
BMTC reiterated that passenger safety remains its foremost priority. The corporation said it would examine the incident in coordination with the vehicle manufacturer and take necessary follow-up action after the technical assessment.
