Panic gripped employees of a filling station in the Khandagiri area here after two private buses caught fire on Saturday. Both the buses were off-road and parked near the petrol pump for a long period of time.
Though the reason as to how the buses caught fire was still uncertain, it was suspected that the mishap occurred due to short-circuit in an overhead electric wire.
“At around 6.30 am, we experienced some fluctuation in electricity supply; and when we came out, we detected smoke coming out of the buses. The buses were parked here for the past eight years. We immediately stopped electric supply. The wires snapped due to heat almost 45 minutes after the fire mishap. We don’t know what caused the fire,” said an official of the electricity department.
City Fire Officer Saroj Behera informed that both the buses were parked near an open field. After investigation, the cause of the fire can be ascertained, he added.