A luxury Volvo bus, destined for a scrap yard, was completely gutted in a fire incident on the elevated corridor of the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) near Poigai village in Vellore on Thursday. The 41-year-old driver, K. Shanmugam, managed to escape unhurt from the blaze.
According to initial reports, the driver noticed smoke emanating from the rear of the bus while it was being towed. He immediately disconnected the recovery vehicle from the bus. Firefighters from Vellore were alerted and arrived at the scene to douse the flames, but the bus was extensively damaged before they could fully extinguish the fire.
The incident caused a significant disruption to traffic on the busy highway. Authorities worked to remove the charred remains of the bus from the carriageway to restore normal movement. A case has been registered, and an investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway.
This incident is one of several bus fire events that have occurred in the Vellore region in recent years. In September 2025, a private luxury bus caught fire on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway near Pallikonda, with all passengers escaping unharmed. The cause was suspected to be an electrical short circuit in the air-conditioning system. Similarly, in February 2025, a private college bus in Katpadi, Vellore, caught fire while parked, resulting in no casualties as it was a holiday. Earlier, in March 2019, a fire broke out at a private garage near the Vellore new bus stand, engulfing two private buses and partially damaging another, reportedly triggered by sparks from welding work.
In a more severe incident in June 2011, a luxury bus fire near Vellore claimed 22 lives. The bus had reportedly toppled into a ditch after the driver swerved to avoid colliding with other vehicles, leading to the fire. Investigations at the time suggested a possible electrical short circuit in the air-conditioning equipment.
These recurring incidents highlight potential safety concerns related to buses, particularly older vehicles or those in transit for dismantling. Authorities are expected to scrutinize the circumstances leading to this latest fire to prevent future occurrences.
The Chenab Times News Desk