Bhopal, Oct 25: A major fire broke out at the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT) in Bhopal on Sunday evening after a parked Verma Travels bus caught fire and the flames spread to buses parked alongside it, reports said. The blaze caused panic at the terminal in the Habibganj area, with thick smoke visible from a distance.

Source: Mradubhashi

Reports put the number of buses gutted at about half a dozen to seven. Gyanwani reported that around half a dozen buses were burnt after the fire in one bus spread to those nearby, while Mradubhashi reported seven Verma Travels buses were gutted. The buses were said to operate on routes including Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Surat, Balaghat, Seoni and Indore.

Source: Gyanwani

Fire tenders reached the spot after the alarm was raised and brought the fire under control after sustained effort, the reports said. Police and fire teams cleared the affected part of the terminal as a precaution. Mradubhashi reported that oil tankers parked nearby were a concern during the operation, as the fire could have become much more serious if it had reached them.

The affected buses were empty at the time, and no loss of life was reported, Mradubhashi said. The cause of the fire was not yet clear, and officials were expected to assess the damage and how the first bus caught fire.