Two students were rescued unhurt when the school van ferrying them was totally gutted in an accidental fire, near Vijaya Bank Circle, in Kuvempunagar, on Tuesday evening.
As usual, driver Yogesh was dropping the students of St Joseph School in his Maruti Omni Van. He had dropped off almost all students to their homes except these two.
The vehicle caught fire suddenly near Vijaya Bank Circle. The alert driver immediately parked the vehicle by the roadside and rescued the students. Within a few minutes the whole vehicle burst into flames and was completely gutted. Another armored vehicle parked nearby to fill cash in an ATM was also partially damaged.
Speaking to DH, Fire and Emergency Services personnel said, the accidental fire was due to short circuit in the vehicle's engine. "The fire spread to the fuel tank leaving the vehicle totally gutted in minutes." they added.