Bus catches fire on EDSA

Traffic was snarled for almost an hour along EDSA in Mandaluyong City yesterday when a public utility bus bound for a Baclaran caught fire due to an overheated engine.

Nobody was hurt as passengers were able to alight from the bus before fire could engulf the vehicle.

Responding firemen contained the fire in less than 10 minutes.

The incident, however, created monstrous traffic in front of the Starmall on EDSA, FO2 Marcos Cabiso said.

Roger Belga, driver of the Admiral Transport Bus with license plate TWD 140, said he was picking up passengers at the Shaw Boulevard intersection at 9:15 a.m. when the vehicle’s engine caught fire.

"Lumabas ang makapal na usok sa makina at biglang lumiyab," Belga said. "Mabilisang lumabas ng bus ang mga pasahero kaya’t wala namang nasaktan."

Cabiso said the fire destroyed the roof and almost half of the front portion of the bus.

Because the incident occurred during rush hour, it created heavy traffic in the area until enforcers from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) stepped in.

Traffic returned to normal after the MMDA towed the vehicle to an impounding area an hour later.

Cabiso said initial investigation showed that the vehicle’s engine overheated and triggered the fire. – Non Alquitran