Bus catches fire in Himachal's Bilaspur, passengers safe

Bilaspur: The passengers, driver and conductor of an HRTC bus en route from Himachal's Shimla to Kangra had a narrow escape after the bus caught fire near Kandraur in Bilaspur on Thursday.

As soon as the driver noticed smoke coming from the engine, he immediately stopped the bus and instructed all the passengers to get out, preventing a major accident, said an official spokesman.

The bus was on its way from Shimla to Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra and had eight people on board, including the driver and conductor.

The bus conductor, Sandeep Singh, said, "All the passengers were evacuated safely in time."

A major accident was averted due to the presence of mind of the driver and the local people, he added.

When the flames began rising from the bus, people from the nearby village quickly reached the spot. The locals brought water from a nearby hand pump and helped prevent the fire from spreading, he said.

As soon as the fire brigade was informed, the team arrived at the scene and completely controlled the fire, the spokesperson said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but it is believed to have occurred due to a technical fault in the engine, he added.