DTC’S AC bus catches fire, lucky escape for commuters
NEW DELHI : A Delhi Transport Corporation’s (DTC) low-floor air-conditioned bus was gutted in a fire near Bhalswa Dairy flyover in northwest Delhi on Tuesday morning.
The bus, plying on route number 254, between Babarpur and Nangloi, was headed to Nangloi with at least 30 passengers when the fire broke out.
The passengers were evacuated before the fire spread. Police said no one was injured in the incident. One fire tender reached the spot within a few minutes after the fire control room was informed at 10 am. The firefighters took around 15 minutes to douse the flames but the bus was almost gutted, said an official.
The fire official said a shortcircuit in the wiring of the airconditioning system of the bus may have triggered the fire. “The exact reason behind the fire could be established only after a detailed inspection is conducted by the experts,” said the officer.
A police officer from the Jahangirpuri police station said the bus was being driven by Joginder Singh and Renu Saini was the conductor. As the bus was running, some passengers saw smoke coming out of the engine in the rear side of the bus and raised an alarm.
“The bus conductor alerted the driver and asked him to stop the bus. All the passengers were immediately evacuated and moved to a safe distance from the bus. Within seconds, the blaze engulfed the entire bus,” said the police officer. He also said that the passengers left for their respective destinations in another bus and autos.
The bus was later towed away by DTC staff. No case was registered in connection with the incident, the officer added.
On May 18, a DTC bus caught fire while on its way to Laxmi Nagar from ITO. The passengers and the DTC staff managed to escape.
CAR CATCHES FIRE AT ITO
A senior NTPC official and his driver had a miraculous escape on Tuesday evening when the official car they were travelling in caught fire in front of the Delhi Police headquarters at ITO. The duo alighted seconds before the vehicle went up in flames.