Police have detained the passenger believed to have caused the fire
Digital Desk: A fire in a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) shuttle train between Pune and Daund in Maharashtra erupted on Monday around 9:00 am. The cause behind the fire is said to have originated in one of the toilets of the train, which is assumed to be a result of a short circuit.
However, after the preliminary inspection, it was reported that the fire started when a 55-year-old passenger from Madhya Pradesh allegedly threw a lit bidi into a dustbin, igniting papers and trash.
A passenger got locked up in the toilet, and the door could not open hence causing panic. A group of observant passengers reacted fast by hearing his screams and seeing smoke. Breaking the door, they managed to save the life of the person, just in time, who was trapped inside the washroom.
The emergency workers and rail officials praised the passengers for their quick thinking, which eliminated a possible disaster.
This accident is similar to another recent accident of fire, wherein a fire erupted in the air-conditioned coach of an idle passenger train that was stationed in the yard of the Durg Railway Station in the state of Chhattisgarh. Luckily, there were no victims in that case.
Fire and rail officials reacted promptly to the Durg tragedy, and it was within 30 minutes since the time when they could control the flamethrowers. Three fire trucks were called to put out the flames.
The intensity of the blaze in Durg was so severe that one of the coaches was burnt to ashes. The thick smoke of the fire was projected a long distance.
