2 hurt as bus catches fire

MANILA, Philippines - A bus burst into flames along Commonwealth Avenue on Wednesday night, injuring two passengers and causing a traffic jam along nearby Quezon Memorial Circle, which also delayed responding firefighters.

The bus of INV HM Transport (TVZ-537) caught fire at around 7:45 p.m. at the Philcoa area, said Quezon City fire marshal Senior Superintendent Bobby Baruelo.

According to Baruelo, two were injured as passengers rushed to get out. Girlie Casaway, 30, suffered abrasions on her leg while Julius Hermano, 27, had abrasions on his hands and legs.

According to Baruelo, the spark that caused the flames was most probably due to the vehicle’s faulty electric wiring.

The incident caused a major traffic buildup along the adjacent Quezon Memorial Circle, which has a one-way traffic flow.

Firefighters coming from a fire station along Agham Road were stuck in a traffic jam caused by the blaze. They managed to put out the flames around 20 minutes after the fire started.