A Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus parked at Santacruz depot caught fire in the early hours of Wednesday after a suspected short circuit in the driver’s cabin, officials said, adding that no injuries were reported in the incident.
The incident took place at around 2.45 am on May 27, 2026.
The bus involved in the incident was Bus No. 7762 (MH01DR6157) from Santacruz depot.
According to officials, the vehicle had earlier been marked as a depot sick bus due to a clutch defect and had recently undergone repairs.
After the repair work was completed, the driver was taking the bus to the fuel station inside Santacruz bus depot for refuelling. While the bus was moving, a short circuit reportedly occurred in the driver’s cabin, leading to a sudden fire.
The flames quickly spread inside the front section of the bus, causing panic among depot staff present at the location.
Staff and fire brigade acted quickly
Staff members from Mateshwari Urban Transport Solutions Private Limited (MUTSPL) immediately responded to the emergency and used around 20 fire extinguishers in an attempt to control the blaze. The fire brigade was also informed soon after the incident.
Fire brigade officials reached the depot at approximately 3.10 am and sprayed water on the bus to bring the fire under control.
No injuries reported
Officials stated that no injuries were reported in the incident. The driver and depot staff managed to move to safety in time.
BEST bus catches fire at Pratiksha Nagar depot
A similar incident was reported last week. A parked BEST bus caught fire late Sunday night at the Pratiksha Nagar Depot parking yard in Mumbai, triggering a swift response from the fire brigade and police officials.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
According to officials, the incident took place at around 11.30 pm on May 24 and involved Bus No. 7692, which operates on Route No. 9 from the Pratiksha Nagar depot.
The bus had been parked and stabilised in the depot yard at around 10.21 pm when security guard Bin Nawaz noticed flames emerging from the idle vehicle during routine surveillance.
The guard initially attempted to locate a fire extinguisher but was unable to access one due to the intensity of the flames. Authorities were immediately alerted, following which the fire brigade rushed to the spot.
Fire doused within minutes
Firefighters reached the depot at around 12.21 am and managed to completely douse the blaze by 12.30 am. Police personnel and media representatives also arrived at the scene shortly after the incident.
Officials said no passengers or staff members were injured in the fire. The exact cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained.
