A pile of bedrolls stacked on platform no 2 of Mangaluru Central Railway Station was gutted after power cable snapped here on Monday. The fire caused concern among commuters who were to board the Jammu Tawi Express and the Chennai Superfast Express on platform nos 2 and 3, respectively.
According to Railway Protection Force personnel, bedrolls were meant for the AC coaches of the Jammu Tawi Express and the Maveli Express trains. Around 4 p.m., the power cable connected to a junction box, which was close to the stacked bedrolls, snapped. The resulting spark led to the bedrolls catching fire. The fire caused panic among commuters in the coaches close to the burning bedrolls, even as they quickly got out of the train with their luggages.
The RPF personnel rushed to the spot with fire extinguishers. The Fire and Emergency Services personnel were summoned later. The fire was put out by 4.30 p.m.
Bedrolls worth about ₹ 2 lakh were gutted. However, the incident did not delay the departure of the two trains. While the Chennai Superfast Express left at 4.30 p.m., the Jammu Tawi Express left at 4.50 p.m., the RPF personnel said.