City Putco bus goes up in flames
AN EARLY morning bus drama on the corner of Bremer Street and Van der Hoff road yesterday left several passers-by shocked.
A Putco bus on its way to the bus depot sudenly burst into flames.
According to eyewitnesses, diesel was leaking from the engine and pouring out the front of the bus.
The driver was fortunately aware of this so he pulled over as fast as he could and got out.
“We can confirm that a Putco bus caught fire. Luckily there were no injuries,” said Tshwane Metro Police Department spokesman Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba.
“Hardly a minute after the driver got out, the bus went up in flames. Massive flames,” he told the Pretoria News.
“It happened on the side of the road, so there was no need for any street closures.
“The cause is being investigated by the local police,” he said.
Tshwane Emergency Services spokesman Johan Pieterse said the engine of the Putco bus was leaking diesel and the tank caught fire near Bremer Street at about 9.30am.
“Diesel was leaking from the bus and we found traces of it on the road.
“No one was hurt. The driver was fine and unharmed,” said Pieterse.
The fire was later extinguished and traffic was soon back to normal.
However the burnt out shell of the bus remained an attraction to passing motorists and pedestrians who stopped to look and take photos.