Nagpur: Over 50 passengers had a narrow escape as a running Aapli Bus caught fire near Nagpur Police Headquarters on Katol Road on Tuesday afternoon. The driver noticed the fire and immediately stopped the bus on the road itself.
Panic gripped the passengers after the conductor alerted them who rushed out of the bus immediately. The driver and conductor made a futile bid to douse the flames emanating from the engine by using portable fire extinguishers. Vehicular traffic got paralysed as fire engulfed the bus. A team of fire-fighters rushed to the spot.
Gold Rate
25 April 2025
The standard bus (MH31/CA6102) started from Kalmeshwar at around 3 pm and was on its way to Sitabuldi after picking up a couple of passengers from Gittikhadan bus stop. At around 3.45 pm, the bus driver Rupesh Bhiwankar noticed smoke from the front portion of the bus. Bhiwankar immediately stopped the bus and asked conductor Roshan Kokate to get the bus vacated.
According to eyewitnesses, a major tragedy was averted as the bus caught fire on Katol Road between a petrol pump and an LPG godown near the city police headquarters. Chief Fire Officer Rajendra Uchake stated in a press note that the driver tried to douse the blaze with the help of a fire extinguisher, but in vain.
Staff from Traffic Branch and Gittikhadan Police also rushed to the spot. Two fire tenders were pressed into service. The bus was reduced to mangled steel by the time the fire was put out by Fire Brigade personnel. Preliminary
investigation revealed that the fire was caused due to leakage in diesel pipe, said an official from Gittikhadan police station, where a case has been registered. The cops are probing further.
