KOCHI: Smoke filled the C5 cabin of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod Vande Bharat train on Wednesday. The smoke was detected while the train was between Kalamassery and Aluva railway station. The train was halted at Aluva station and the passengers were evacuated.
According to the public relations officer of Thiruvananthapuram division, the smoke arose from the fire extinguishing system kept inside the lavatory. “The system has been set up to go off on even a slight detection of fire, and since smoke is considered to be a part of fire, the extinguisher went off,” said the PRO.
“It is suspected thought that someone might have lighted a cigarette inside the lavatory triggering the extinguisher,” said the PRO. The smoke was detected at 8.55 am. “As soon as the smoke was detected, the train was stopped and the passengers evacuated. After a thorough check to negate any sort of fire or gas leakage, the train was cleared for its onward journey. The train left Aluva station at 9.20 am,” said the PRO.
The CCTV footage was retrieved, and it was found that one of the onboard cleaning staff inadvertently pulled the safety catch of the fire extinguisher leading to its activation.
The mist from the chemical reaction which took place in the activated extinguisher, spread inside the coach, and gave an impression that the coach was filled with smoke.
Fire extinguishing mechanism in Vande Bharat
The fire detection and extinguishing mechanisms in Vande Bharat coaches are advanced, and in the event of a real fire, an alert will be sent to the control centre in the driver’s cab through the traction control and monitoring system located in the loco. The chemical reaction which takes place once the fire extinguisher is activated, engulfs the suspected area of fire with a white mist, thereby extinguishing the flames.