An unknown number of passengers escaped unhurt after a bus they were traveling in burst into flames on Saturday, December 7, at Githurai 45 area along Thika Superhighway.
A source on the ground confirmed the incident that happened at around 9 am, involving a PSV bus that was en route to Thika Town.
“The incident happened in the morning just above the Githurai underpass where the bus developed a faulty problem and started emitting some smoke from the engine,” the source informed.
“The driver noticed and stopped the engine before the flames started to develop,” he added.
Passengers scampered for safety, running for dear life and eventually, everyone got out safe.
“The passengers were all able to get out before getting hurt. No case of injury was reported,” added the source.
Some members of the public tried to contain the fire with hand-held fire extinguishers but in vain.
The fire departments from Nairobi and Kiambu counties were informed about the incident and acted hastily to put out the flaming bus.
According to Onesmus, a mechanic based in Nairobi, various reasons may result in a vehicle bursting into flames including a fault in the wiring system.
“If there is a fault in the wiring system, there may be a spark that has the potential to ignite a fire that may end up forming flames.
“Faulty batteries may also be potential causes of vehicles bursting into flames. Some faulty batteries from various unregulated companies may even explode leading to a fire developing,” remarked the mechanic.
The mechanic further hinted that in case of the fire starts, it may spread fast due to the paint applied on the vehicle that is highly flammable.
THIKA BOUND BUS CATCHES FIRE AT GITHURAI AREA ON THE THIKA SUPER-HIGHWAy
