Parcel van catches fire

Fire fighters dousing fire at Yeshwanthpur railway station, as parcel van of Howrah Express (2864) caught fire in Bangalore on Thursday. DH Photo

The incident occurred around 6.15 pm. The van was to be linked to the passenger train at 7.30 pm.

Fire department officials said hexane, a chemical stocked in the van caught fire. Since the van was at the far end of the station, there was no chance of the fire spreading to other bogies or trains.

According to railway officials, unloading work was going on when the parcel van caught fire. “The van was carrying garments and some other chemicals. Thirteen fire tenders took nearly two and half hours to bring the fire under control.

Surprisingly, 52 litres of  hexane was removed, as it was not destroyed in the fire, sources said.