KOCHI: A school bus belonging to Sacred Heart School, Thevara, was gutted after it caught fire near the Kundanoor bridge in Kochi on Wednesday morning. Fortunately, no students were on board at the time of the incident.
The fire broke out at around 8:30 AM while the bus was on its way to pick up a second batch of students after dropping off the first group at school. According to Fire and Rescue Service officials, they received the distress call around 8:45 AM.
"Only the bus driver and a helper were inside the vehicle. Upon noticing smoke emitting from the engine, the driver quickly parked the bus by the roadside, and both individuals safely exited the vehicle. Within minutes, the fire spread to other parts of the bus," a fire and rescue services official reported.
Preliminary fire dousing efforts were initiated by bystanders using water from a tanker lorry. Fire tenders arrived within 10 minutes and managed to extinguish the fire completely. There was a slight traffic blockage on the road due to the incident, but by 9:15 AM, the vehicle was moved and traffic resumed.
The preliminary assessment suggests that a short circuit could be the cause of the fire. However, the exact reason will be confirmed after an inspection by the police and the Motor Vehicle Department (MVD).