BMTC bus catches fire on Seshadri Road, no casualties reported

NT Correspondent

A Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus caught fire on Saturday, but no casualties were reported. The fire occurred on Seshadri Road near K R Circle around 12 noon. The bus was moving towards K R Circle and had stopped at Maharani College stop in front of S J Polytechnic.

It is said the bus driver has noticed smoke near the bonnet of the bus. He then opened the bonnet and spotted a flame, and immediately took the fire extinguisher installed on the bus and tried to put out the flame, but in vain. The driver, conductor and all the passengers got off the bus in time.

The fire was extinguished by a team of firemen from High Grounds Fire Station. The conductor of the bus told News Trail that the fire engine arrived in less than five minutes. The front portion of the bus, especially the engine, got gutted.

The bus (registration number KA 57 F 1447) was on route 43 between Kempegowda Bus Station (Majestic) and Srividyanagar near Hosakerehalli. The incident and the intervention that followed slowed the movement of traffic on the stretch for a brief period.

It may be recalled that two similar fire accidents occurred earlier this year. On January 21, a BMTC bus caught fire near Makkala Koota signal in Chamarajpet. Another bus caught fire in Jayanagar on February 1. The bus was moving near South End Circle and was bound for Banashankari. Nobody was injured in either of the incidents.

All the three fire accidents involved BMTC’s Midi bus which has a single door and a Leyland engine. Following the two incidents earlier this year, BMTC had said that all such buses would be allowed to run only after being inspected thoroughly. Saturday’s incident has raised questions on the effectiveness of BMTC’s inspection.

After the fire, BMTC deployed a team of mechanics who reached the spot on a mobile workshop van and examined the bus. In a statement, BMTC has said that a fault in the starter and the wiring design might have been the cause of the fire.

It has also been stated that Research and Development personnel from Leyland have been asked to rectify the said fault. BMTC’s staff did not provide clarity on whether the Midi bus will be withdrawn from the roads following this incident.