A Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus caught fire at the Santacruz depot in the early hours of Tuesday, marking the fourth bus fire reported this month and the third such incident at a depot, officials confirmed. The incident involved a bus from the Santacruz depot operated under the Mateshwari contractor. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
Details of the Incident
According to preliminary information, the bus had been marked as "sick" due to a clutch defect and was undergoing repairs at the depot. After the repair work was completed, the driver took the vehicle towards the fuel station within the Santacruz depot for refuelling. At around 2:45 am, a short circuit reportedly occurred in the driver's cabin, triggering a spark that led to the fire, said a BEST spokesperson.
Response and Containment
The staffers at the depot responded immediately and used around 20 fire extinguishers to contain the flames while the fire brigade was alerted. The fire was brought under control by 3:09 am after spraying water on the bus, officials said.
Recurring Incidents
The latest incident adds to a series of fires reported at bus facilities this month. On May 3, an electric AC double-decker bus caught fire at the Kurla bus depot. In another recent incident, two CNG-run buses were gutted in a fire at the Pratikshanagar bus depot. A former BEST committee member stated that adequate precautions should be taken to ensure that buses do not catch fire at the depots, as this has become a recurring incident. The BEST fleet is also short of four buses at a time when it is in urgent need of more buses to improve frequency, the panel member added.
