A private school bus was gutted in a fire near Kaiveli in Velachery on Thursday evening, causing traffic disruption on Velachery-Tambaram road. No one was injured as the bus was not carrying any students or staff at the time of the incident.

According to the police, the driver, Ravi of Pallikaranai, had dropped off students after completing the day’s trip and was driving the bus back to Pallikaranai.

As he noticed a smoke billowing from the engine, he immediately pulled over and inspected it, but the flames spread rapidly and engulfed the bus.

 Firemen rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze. However, the bus was completely gutted, leading to temporary disruption of traffic on the busy stretch. The traffic police said the incident caused traffic congestion on the stretch for around 10 minutes.

Normal traffic resumed only after the gutted vehicle was removed from the road.

Preliminary inquiries indicated that the fire may have originated in the engine compartment, though the exact cause is yet to be determined.

The police are investigating the incident.

Published - July 17, 2026 12:45 am IST