Cluster bus catches fire in Delhi’s Jagatpuri; no one injured

New Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) A low-floor cluster bus ferrying around 50 passengers was completely destroyed after it caught fire in east Delhi’s Jagatpuri area on Thursday, officials said.

They said no passengers were injured.

The Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Limited (DIMTS) monitors and manages cluster buses.

An inquiry has been ordered, transport department officials said and added that the bus will be examined by the manufacturer to determine what caused the fire.

“This bus was just four-and-a-half years old. It is a matter of concern that a relatively new bus caught fire. The fire started from the back portion and despite efforts by the driver and the conductor to extinguish it, it spread,” an official said.

Station officer of Delhi Fire Services (DFS) Anoop Singh said a call was received around 9.40 am about the incident and three fire tenders were sent to the spot.

It is suspected that an electrical short-circuit in the vehicle’s air conditioning system may have caused the fire, Singh said.

According to police, the bus was plying on route 340, from Central Secretariat to Seemapuri. The probable cause of the fire was a short-circuit in the AC system, they added.

Eyewitness Surender Bhola said a biker noticed smoke coming out of the bus engine and alerted the driver, who immediately stopped the vehicle and instructed the passengers to get off.

The incident caused a massive traffic jam at the Jagatpuri crossing, affecting other commuters. Traffic police later managed to regulate the flow, the DFS officer said.

Thirty buses caught fire in Delhi in the last eight years, including four in 2023, according to the city government’s data on fire incidents in DTC and cluster buses. Last year, the government informed the Delhi Assembly that short-circuits were the most common reason behind the fire incidents that mostly occurred in buses around 12 years old.

The transport department has over the years constituted different committees to look into the causes of the fires. The common reasons have emerged to short-circuit and engine overheating and drivers have also flagged technical issues.