What Triggered Kurnool Bus Fire? 234 Smartphones, High-Power Batteries, and a Bike Fall

Kurnool Bus Fire: In the early hours of Friday, tragedy struck on National Highway 44 (NH-44) near Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh, when a bus traveling from Hyderabad to Bengaluru erupted into flames. Nineteen passengers lost their lives as the fire spread rapidly, leaving little opportunity for escape.

Initial reports suggested that the bus collided with a bike, but police investigations later clarified the sequence of events. The bus, operated by V Kaveri Travels, ran over a bike that had already been involved in an accident. This impact triggered a fire, which escalated quickly due to multiple combustible elements on board.

Factors Behind the Deadly Fire

The bus was carrying a cargo of 234 brand-new smartphones valued at around ₹46 lakh, en route from Hyderabad to Bengaluru by trader Manganath. According to forensic experts, the presence of these devices may have intensified the fire.

"These new mobile phones stored in the luggage cabin of the bus might have caught fire and exploded, aggravating the blaze," explained Andhra Pradesh Fire Services Director General P Venkataramana. He added that eyewitnesses reported popping sounds during the incident, likely caused by the lithium batteries in the phones bursting under extreme heat.

In addition to the phones, the bus's high-voltage batteries powering the AC system also exploded due to the intense heat. The petrol spilled from the fallen bike may have further fueled the flames.

Police Assessment of the Incident

Kurnool Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Koya Praveen provided a different perspective, suggesting that the smartphones were not the main cause. According to him, the fire originated at two critical points: the fuel tank of the bike and the bus's own batteries.

"That (two-wheeler fuel tank) wasn't the major cause of fire. The tank got burst and fire erupted exactly at the main exit door. And behind the main exit door there were bus batteries, two 12 KV batteries. These batteries exploded," Praveen told PTI.

He also noted that certain highly flammable materials inside the bus, including metallic paint, contributed to the fire's rapid spread.

Understanding the Tragedy

The combination of the fallen bike, the cargo of smartphones, the bus's high-voltage batteries, and flammable interior materials created a catastrophic situation. While the exact sequence is still under investigation, authorities confirm that multiple factors combined to produce one of the deadliest bus fires in recent memory.