Driver cooking in bus dies in blaze

Noida: A 45-year-old driver cooking dinner inside his bus burnt to death allegedly after flames from the stove engulfed the vehicle within minutes around Monday midnight. The conductor, who was asleep on the bus roof, managed to jump to safety.The incident occurred in Transport Nagar, where several commercial vehicles — attached to schools and offices — are parked after the day’s work.Police and fire officials said they were still trying to ascertain the exact cause of the fire, which not only charred the bus but spread to an adjacent vehicle as well.Officials at Phase 3 police station said they received a call around 12.15am on Tuesday, informing them that two buses were up in flames at Transport Nagar. A team of cops and fire department officials rushed to the spot.“Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot while police officials also reached in some time. While bringing the flames under control, the charred body of a man was found inside the bus. He was rushed to a hospital, but was declared dead on arrival,” an official said.Preliminary probe revealed that the bus driver — Ram Naresh of UP’s Mainpuri — was cooking on the dashboard of the vehicle, which is near the engine.

Dhruv Bhushan Dubey, the SHO of Phase 3 police station, said the reason for the fire was not immediately clear. “There could be two reasons. It seems like a fan operating inside the bus exploded, triggering sparks. Or it could be that flames from the cooking stove caused the fire. The flames spread so quickly that the driver could not escape. The conductor, who was on the roof, managed to jump to safety,” he said.According to witnesses, Ram may have dozed off while cooking, when flames from the stove are believed to have sparked the blaze“We are still investigating the cause of the fire. The body, meanwhile, was sent for an autopsy. Further investigation is underway,” Dubey said.A complaint was yet to be filed in the case till late on Tuesday evening. Ram’s family was informed and the body was handed over to them.