Fire in Daund-Pune shuttle train after passenger throws cigarette; held

A minor fire broke out in the lavatory of the moving Daund-Pune shuttle train on Monday morning after a passenger allegedly threw a lighted cigarette in a dustbin there, causing panic among passengers, police said.

The blaze was quickly doused and no one was injured in the incident which occurred near Yavat in Pune district at around 8 am, an official from Daund railway police station said.

A 55-year-old person, who prima-facie seemed to be mentally unstable, was detained in connection with the incident and handed over to police, a railway spokesperson said.

The train was held up at Yavat station for about 20 minutes due to the incident, as per railway officials.

The shuttle train service operates daily between Daund town and Pune city, covering a distance of nearly 75 km and passing through seven stations in between.

As per preliminary information, a passenger from Madhya Pradesh allegedly threw a 'bidi' (hand-rolled thin cigarette) into a dustbin of the Daund-Pune DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) train after smoking, which led to the fire, the police official said.

"The incident occurred around 8 am. There were papers and other trash in the bin, which caught fire, resulting in smoke billowing from the toilet and causing panic among passengers," the official said.

There were only a few passengers in that coach, he said.

The fire was quickly extinguished and no one was injured in the incident, the official added.

Railway officials said the train suffered a 20-minute detention at the Yavat station.