Navjeevan Express catches fire near Gudur junction, no casualties

One of the heaters used for cooking was apparently not turned off, causing the fire, officials said.

A fire broke out in the pantry car of Ahmedabad-Chennai Navjeevan Express near Gudur railway junction in Andhra Pradesh in the wee hours of Friday, November 18, 2022. but no casualties were reported,

According to officials, the train (12655) caught fire when a fire broke out from the pantry van after an electric stove was reportedly switched on and left unattended. The incident happened when the train was approaching Gudur railway junction in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Friday.

Railway field staff at the station observed the fire at 02:35 hrs and alerted the senior officials, who in turn, informed the local fire station. Fire tenders rushed to the station and brought the fire under control.

“The Automatic Fire Suppression System in the pantry got activated even as three windows were broken to let the smoke out. The AC supply was also cut and the fire put out,” South Central Railway. Vijayawada division spokesperson Nusrat M.Mandrupkar said.

The train was detained at Gudur for about 82 minutes and the pantry car was detached before the onward journey resumed, she said

Meanwhile, railway and police staff pacified the panicked passengers before the train left for Chennai

(With inputs from PTI)