An air-conditioned coach of the Pawan Express train caught fire near Bihar’s Madhubani district on Friday. The incident occurred while the train was stationed at Jaynagar station in Madhubani.
According to sources, smoke and flames were seen erupting from an AC passenger compartment this morning. Fortunately, no injuries have been reported so far.
Railway authorities and fire teams rushed to the station upon receiving emergency alerts. Several units worked swiftly to douse the blaze in the affected coach and prevent it from spreading.
Preliminary assessments point to a suspected electrical short-circuit. Investigations are underway to ascertain the exact trigger for the fire. Train operations at Jaynagar station were also temporarily hampered.
The Pawan Express mishap comes just weeks after similar incidents aboard the Secunderabad-Sirpur-Kagaznagar train in Telangana and the Vaishali Superfast Express in Uttar Pradesh.
#WATCH | Fire breaks out in an AC coach of Pawan Express train at Jaynagar in Bihar's Madhubani; no casualties reported in the incident pic.twitter.com/QwnULqdCUi
— ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2023
It highlights persisting safety risks with electrical fittings and components in aging railway coaches across parts of the country. The damage from AC coach fires also tends to be more severe given the insulation and interiors.
As services resume on the Pawan Express, the latest episode stresses the need for proactive fire audits and potential rolling stock upgrades to prevent repeat rail disasters. Authorities are hopeful there will be no further disruption following the swift dousing of flames and emergency response at Jaynagar.
