ST bus gutted in fire in Nashik, all passengers alight safely

Nashik, Dec 10 (PTI) A ‘Shivshahi’ bus of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) was gutted in a fire on Sunday in Nashik, though no one was hurt in the incident, a police official said.

The bus, on its way from Nashik to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad), caught fire at 2:15pm in Takli Phata near Chandori in Niphad taluka, he said.

“The driver noticed smoke from the engine and along with the conductor managed to get all passengers to alight safely in time. The fire, however, spread and soon gutted the bus, leaving just the mangled steel skeleton of the vehicle,” the official said.

“Fire brigade and disaster management cell personnel took part in the dousing operations along with residents of the vicinity. Traffic on the Nashik-Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar state highway was affected for some time,” he added.

The cause of the fire is being ascertained, the Saikheda police station official added.