Two-wheeler rider alerts KSRTC bus crew about fire, passengers safe

BENGALURU: A two-wheeler rider’s quick thinking saved the lives of passengers on a KSRTC bus in Bengaluru on Thursday night. The bus caught fire while travelling from Bengaluru to Shivamogga, but the driver and the bike rider worked together to evacuate all 21 passengers to safety.

The incident occurred near Lulu Mall on Magadi Road, and the fire brigade arrived promptly to extinguish the flames. The cause of the fire is believed to be a spark from the bus’s starter, and an investigation is under way.

The passengers were safely transferred to another bus, and no one was injured in the incident. The bike rider’s alertness is being hailed as heroic, and the driver and conductor are being praised for their swift action in evacuating the passengers.

The bus conductor Murty said, “We had left Majestic around 10.10 pm and just five minutes later, a two-wheeler rider alerted us about the fire. I was issuing tickets and there were 21 passengers in the bus. We quickly evacuated the passengers and tried to put out the fire, but by then, the fire quickly spread. We don’t know the cause of the fire”.

The bus driver Hanumanth said, “The fire was seen in the starter and I immediately parked the bus by the roadside and got all the passengers to disembark. We used the fire extinguisher, but the blaze could not be controlled. We then called the fire brigade”.

In a separate incident, a Tata Nano car suddenly caught fire near Dobhi Ghat signal in Rajajinagar. The incident occurred around 3 am, but fortunately, no one was inside the car, and it was a narrow escape.