A major fire erupted at BEST’s Anik bus depot in Mumbai’s Sion on Monday evening, reducing 10 parked CNG buses to charred wrecks and damaging two others, triggering a massive emergency response.
A major fire erupted at BEST’s Anik bus depot in Mumbai’s Sion on Monday evening, reducing 10 parked CNG buses to charred wrecks and damaging two others, triggering a massive emergency response. No injuries were reported in the blaze, while officials said the exact cause of the fire was yet to be determined.
The buses engulfed in the fire were wet-lease midi CNG buses operated by a private contractor. Of the 12 affected buses, nine were new, while three had already been pressed into service, sources said.
A senior BEST official probing the incident said investigators were examining multiple possibilities, but suspected that combustible material lying near the buses may have caught fire after a spark from an external source. The resulting flames reportedly melted gas pipes, triggering gas leakage and intensifying the blaze.
Thick clouds of smoke billowed from the depot and could be seen from several parts of Mumbai’s eastern suburbs, sparking panic among residents and motorists in the vicinity.
The incident has also raised questions over fire-safety preparedness and the manner in which the buses were parked inside the depot. BEST committee member Ramakant Gupta alleged that the buses were parked too close to one another, allowing the flames to spread rapidly. He also questioned why fire extinguishers and sand buckets available at the depot could not be deployed immediately.
“Had the staff reacted promptly, the fire could have been restricted to two or three buses. Drivers could also have moved some of the buses away from the affected area,” he said.
A senior BEST official, however, said moving the buses was not feasible as thick fumes had engulfed the area and the fire spread rapidly. Another official said the intensity of the flames made it impossible for staff to use fire extinguishers, with three to five buses reportedly catching fire simultaneously.
“Amid the heavy plumes of smoke, who would dare take the buses out?” he asked.
The presence of CNG further complicated efforts to contain the blaze. “Once gas catches fire, controlling its spread becomes far more difficult,” said former Mumbai fire brigade officer Rajendra Choudhary.
Another BEST panel member said the incident should be treated as a wake-up call, calling for a standard emergency fire-control protocol, adequate equipment and specialised training across all 27 BEST depots to prevent similar incidents.
Investigators are now probing whether any staff member may have been responsible for triggering the blaze and whether negligence played a role in efforts to contain it.
The fire comes at a particularly difficult time for BEST, which is already operating with an all-time low fleet of around 2,800 buses. Monday’s incident was also the eighth fire involving BEST buses since May 3 this year, adding fresh concerns over the safety and preparedness of the city’s public transport network.
