18 buses gutted as massive fire breaks out at depot in Bengaluru, no injuries

A huge fire broke out near the Veerbhadra Nagar in Bengaluru on Monday, in which 18 buses parked at a private depot were gutted. Deputy Director of Fire Service, Gurulingaiah, told India Today that 18 buses were completely burnt in the fire that broke out earlier in the day. The official noted that these 18 vehicles needed "repair".

10 fire engines were rushed to the spot to douse the fire and tackle the situation. No casualties or injuries have been reported so far.

"There were a lot of combustible materials...Cannot point out a reason immediately," the official told India Today.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but it is suspected that a short circuit could have been the reason. A garage is located close to the bus depot.

"We cannot call this negligence. They are all labourers who do welding and wiring work. Since everything is burnt, at the moment we can't comment on the origin of the fire. There are a lot of materials made out of petroleum products. All these catch fire easily," Gurulingaiah said.

"They should have kept fire extinguishers at the depot. There is lack of awareness," the official added.

Considering the incident site is an open space, people could move away faster when the fire broke out.