Bathinda: One burnt alive after three buses go up in flames

Police later identified the deceased as one Sukhwinder Sharma, who they claimed was sleeping on one of the buses when it went up in flames.

Investigators claimed that the cause of the fire had not been determined yet, but initial probe suggests that the blaze started from one bus around 11pm and spread to vehicles parked alongside. Sukhwinder, police said, was sleeping in the bus of New Malwa Transport company and was burnt alive before the locals could arrive at the scene. Of the four buses that were damaged, two belonged to the New Malwa Transport Company and were brand new, having been purchased just a day earlier. The third bus that was gutted was a minibus, with a fourth bus of Jassal transport service also being partially damaged .

Private fire tender first on the spot

As per reports, a private fire tender, purchased by an NGO, Satkar committee, was the first to arrive at the spot and commence firefighting operations. The vehicles, locals said, was purvhased by the NGO, who also deployed its own men to provide voluntary fire fighting services in the area, whoch they say has no fire brigade presence. The fire brigade of teh administration either is dispatched from Rampura Phul, Jaitu or Bathinda district, which are in the range of 15-50 km
Th private fire tender vehicle was purchased about two months ago by members of the NGO by collecting funds from local. “We were fed up with authorities not providing us help in the form of a fire brigade vehicle, despite repeated requests. Hence, we decided to take matters in our own hands,” said Binder Singh, an area resident.

On Thursday night, the private fire tender rushed to the spot soon after the news of the fire spread in the area and started rescue work with the help of locals, who helped in replinishing the vehicle’s water. Vehicles from the civic bodies of Rampura Phul and that of Bathinda arrived at the spot much after the flames had been brought under control by the locals.

“Several buses were parked next to each other. The damage could have been greater had action not been taken promptly,” said an area resident.
He added that Thursday’s fire should serve as a wake up call for the administration to set up a fire brigade station in the area.