An empty double-decker electric bus was gutted in a fire during servicing at a BEST depot in Mumbai's Kurla area on Sunday, officials said, adding that nobody was injured.
The blaze broke out inside the Kurla BEST bus depot near Kanakia Building, according to preliminary information from the Mumbai Fire Brigade.
The parked bus was unoccupied at the time of the incident.
A BEST spokesperson said the bus was withdrawn from service on May 1 following a technical fault and was brought to the Kurla depot for repairs.
The incident occurred in the basement parking area. Smoke was first noticed emanating from the out-of-service bus at 3:55 PM, he said.
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An engineering cleaner at the depot immediately alerted supervisors, following which staff attempted to douse the flames using 10 to 15 fire extinguishers available at the site. However, flames engulfed the bus, he said.
The fire brigade and bus control room were informed at 4:10 pm, after which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and firefighting operations were launched.
No authorised representatives of Switch Mobility were present at the depot when the fire broke out. A company official reached the depot at around 4.40 pm, the spokesperson added.
The blaze was fully brought under control at 6:15 PM, he said.
The Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) Undertaking has hired 50 electric double-decker buses from Switch Mobility in its fleet of around 2,700 buses.
As a precautionary measure, the fire brigade and police personnel temporarily shut the depot, disrupting afternoon bus operations.
"We are aware of a thermal incident involving one of the double decker buses at the BEST Kurla Depot. The bus was at the depot for servicing at the time. The situation was promptly brought under control. No injuries have been reported. We are currently investigating the matter,” Switch Mobility said in a statement.
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(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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