Mumbai Metro services, traffic affected after massive fire breaks out in private intercity bus in Dindoshi

Teams from the Varnai Police and Fire Brigade rushed to the spot. Pic/Special Arrangement

A private intercity bus caught fire near Aarey Metro Station in Dindoshi, causing traffic disruption on the Western Express Highway, officials said.

The incident led to congestion in the area, with northbound traffic moving slowly, according to the Mumbai Traffic Police.

The metro services were also briefly affected following the incident, officials said.

According to the officials, a Mahadev Travel bus travelling from Mumbai to Gujarat caught fire after an alleged short circuit. The bus had seven passengers on board, all of whom were evacuated safely and in time.

Teams from the Vanrai Police and Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) rushed to the spot following the incident.

The officials were carrying out further operations. No injuries have been reported so far.

According to officials, the incident was reported by a citizen at around 6.15 pm.

A 108 ambulance and Metro personnel were also deployed as part of the emergency response.

No injuries reported

No injuries have been reported so far in connection with the bus fire, officials said.

The exact cause of the fire and details about the bus were under investigation, officials said.

Northbound traffic moving at slow pace

The Mumbai Traffic Police said traffic heading north at Aarey Metro Station was proceeding at a slow pace due to the fire in the private bus.

Motorists travelling through the stretch are likely to face delays as traffic movement remains affected.

Metro services reportedly affected

The bus fire was also reportedly affecting Mumbai Metro services along the Western Express Highway. Further details about the impact on Metro operations were awaited.

Commuters using the Western Express Highway near Aarey and Dindoshi are advised to expect delays officials said.

"A bus has caught fire beneath Aarey Metro Station. We would, however, like to assure passengers that the Metro station premises have not been affected by this incident. However, the fire generated a lot of smoke in the area, and therefore, we moved our passengers outside the station premises for their safety," an official statement said.

To prevent smoke from entering the trains and affecting passengers, as a temporary measure, trains were not stopping at Aarey Metro Station until the smoke cleared. However, services have now been restored to complete normalcy, the statement further said.

Further details are awaited.