JHARGUSUDA: Train services were disrupted for around three hours at Jharsuguda railway station due to a fire which broke out after a high-tension overhead wire snapped during construction work on an old foot overbridge between platform 1 and 2 on Tuesday.
Following the incident, power supply to the station was immediately shut down. As the Telephone and Signal (T&S) office was completely gutted, the entire signalling and communication system collapsed, forcing authorities to suspend train operations at Jharsuguda junction from 11 am till 2 pm.
According to sources, construction was underway on the foot overbridge when some materials accidentally fell onto the railway overhead equipment (OHE) carrying 25,000 volts current. This triggered a loud explosion, causing the wire to snap and fall onto telephone and signalling cables below. The impact led to a fire in the cables, resulting in a major short circuit that spread to the T&S office.
Within minutes, thick black smoke engulfed the station premises, triggering panic among passengers. Personnel of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP) along with railway staff immediately evacuated passengers and others from platform 1 and alerted the local fire services department. Town police also reached the spot to assist in maintaining law and order.
Two fire tenders rushed to the spot and battled the blaze for over two hours before bringing it under control. Firefighters initially faced difficulty entering the affected area due to heavy smoke. Later, a special team equipped with masks and oxygen cylinders managed to enter the station premises and douse the flames.
Besides the T&S office, the fire affected the adjacent station manager and enquiry offices. More than seven other offices were also affected. The extent of the damage is yet to be assessed.
Senior divisional commercial manager of Chakradharpur railway division Aditya Kumar Choudhary said a defect in the overhead wire could have caused the incident and a detailed investigation has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. He said the fire has been fully controlled and the situation is now normal.
Sources said railway safety teams restored the snapped overhead wire following which the situation improved by 1 pm. Train movement on the route resumed normally from 2 pm.