BRT vehicle catches fire

Passenfers rushed down yesterday as an Abule-Egba-bound Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) vehicle caught fire under the Iyana-Dopemu bridge.

The bus was coming from Oshodi when the incident occurred around 2.30pm, resulting in traffic gridlock.

A passenger, identified simply as Chukwudi, said the driver tried to douse the smoke coming from the engine, with an extinguisher before it turned into a fire.

Chukwudi said the driver asked the passengers to disembark, but many refused.

“We were still standing beside the bus waiting on the driver to get rid of the smoke when suddenly, the bus caught fire. I ran for safety. The rest of the passengers who refused to come out of the bus jumped through the window. I was scared. Even the driver of the bus ran away. I thank God I am alive because it could have happened on the move,” he said.

An eyewitness, Darlyn Ayase, said the fire started around 2:45pm.

She said: “I was inside a bus and the driver wanted to make a U-turn saying there was an accident. Immediately, I came down from the bus to see things for myself. Before the fire fighters reached the scene, the bus was almost burnt. They quenched the fire for other vehicles to pass. I think the battery was faulty.”

Mr Henry Lebechi, who was sitting under the bridge, said he saw the vehicle and some passengers jumping out the window.

He said the driver went to the nearest BRT office to get an extinguisher to fight the fire, adding: “Everybody did their best but the fire went out of control. The incident started at about 2:30pm and drivers from other BRT buses stopped to help quench the fire with their extinguishers.”

Mr Rasheed Ayinla, a commercial bus driver, said the BRT vehicle was filled with passengers adding that it was when it dropped a passenger at Iyana Dopemu that the smoke started.

A vulcaniser, Taiwo Ebinuga, said he was shocked to see people inside the bus when it caught fire, adding: “People alighted from the bus and some were still seated. The back door was locked; if not for the passengers that alighted, the story would have been different. People at the back seat shouted for help before they jumped out of the window. As the last passenger got out, the bus caught fire completely. I urge bus drivers to have a fire extinguisher in their vehicles.”

Bisi Lawal, a trader, said, she saw smoke coming out from the bus but the passengers didn’t notice it until it became obvious.

She said: “The rear door was locked except the front door and people pushed each other to get down from the bus. People need to be calm and patient when they are in trouble. Panicking will never solve the situation. Almost everyone poured water on the bus but our lives are important. I thank God there were no casualties.”