3 parked buses damaged in fire at Nerul

NERUL: Three buses, including a school bus, were destroyed in a fire that broke out in Nerul at 10.15am on Thursday. No casualties were reported in the incident.

The buses, two of which were charred and one partially damaged, were parked near the foot overbridge in Sector 8, said fire officials.

According to fire official Amrutnand Borade of Nerul fire station, “One of the private buses parked next to the bridge caught fire. We reached the spot within 15 minutes of the fire breaking out. But by then, two buses were completely charred and the third bus was up in flames.”

“To prevent the other buses parked there from getting damaged, we moved them away from the spots using the help of traffic policemen,” added Borade.

Fire officials said the buses lacked fire-fighting equipment.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Naresh Parab, the owner of the buses, said, “The buses had been parked here for the past eight days. The batteries of the buses have been removed. It’s a mystery how the

buses caught fire.”

On condition of anonymity, a local resident said, “There is no possibility of a short circuit if there was no battery in the bus. How then can it possibly catch fire?”

Meanwhile, fire officials said they are investigating the incident.

Local corporator Sunita Mandve said, “Initially, one bus had caught fire, which spread to the bus parked behind it. Thankfully, there is no residential area nearby. Otherwise, there could have been loss of life or injury.”

BACHCHAN KUMAR Fire officials at work after the buses caught fire at Nerul on Thursday.