Kerosene spill sets Khopoli-CST coach afire

Mumbai: In a freak accident at about 8.05 pm on Tuesday, the luggage compartment of a Khopoli to CST train caught fire owing to kerosene that had spilled over.

Railway officials said that the coach caught fire between Vikhroli and Ghatkopar and commuters raised an alarm. The luggage compartment was located immediately behind the motorman’s cabin. CR senior public relations officer A.K. Jain said, “The fire was put out by the motorman with an extinguisher. The luggage compartment did not have many commuters as the train was going in the opposite direction during evening peak hours.”

However, the incident caused a 15 minute delay in services on both lines. Initially, commuters panicked but timely intervention by the motorman prevented the situation from getting out of hand. The railway has been urging the public not to carry inflammable items in trains.

CR chief public relations officer Narendra Patil said, “Yes, commuters cannot carry anything that can cause fire when they travel in trains. In this case, the fire lit up the items the man was carrying. The person whose items caught fire will be caught after which it will be decided whether to fine him or send him to jail.”

Firecrackers, gas cylinders, acid, petrol, kerosene, dry grass and leaves are among the items that cannot be carried on trains.