BMTC bus goes up in flames on MG Road, passengers safe

Bengaluru: A BMTC bus went up in flames on MG Road in the heart of the city on Tuesday morning. No injuries or casualties were reported among the 30 people in the bus at the time of the incident. 

The bus (KA 57 F 1232) of route number 144E, belonging to the Koramangala depot, caught fire at Anil Kumble Circle around 8.45 am. 

The fire and emergency services control room received a complaint at 8.51 am, following which, a single fire tender from the south station was deployed to put out the fire.

Sources in the BMTC note that the reason for the fire is being inspected by a team of mechanical engineers. The smoke appeared from the engine when the driver was trying to start the vehicle, a source said. The conductor reportedly used the fire extinguisher in the bus to control the blaze until the fire tenders arrived. 

Efforts to douse the fire went on for a while and peak-hour traffic moved slowly until the vehicle was towed away to the BMTC Central Workshop in Shanthinagar. 

BMTC officials clarified that this was not due to poor maintenance of their buses. 

"Maintenance is very much followed up in the BMTC, with daily maintenance and weekly maintenance, and after-km maintenance will be there. Every year, buses obtain a fitness certificate from the regional transport office," said a senior BMTC official.