Coaches destroyed in fire at Basin Bridge

Firefighters battled for over an hour to extinguish flames — Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Three railway coaches, including an AC compartment, were charred in a fire at the Basin Bridge train care centre near Chennai Central on Monday night. No one was injured. Police said smoke started emerging from the inside of the AC coach.

Within minutes, a raging fire spread throughout the compartment. Local railway staff rushed in an attempt to extinguish the fire with the limited supply of water available at the yard. They smashed the glass windows and tried to put out the fire inside.

The lack of adequate firefighting equipment resulted in the flames spreading to two adjoining sleeper compartments. Following hour-long operations, Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services teams put out the fire around 10.30 p.m..