Luxury CNG bus carrying workers catches fire in Vadodara, none hurt

2 min readVadodaraJul 9, 2026 02:46 PM IST

A private CNG luxury bus transporting employees to work caught fire near Sardar Estate in Gujarat’s Vadodara on Thursday morning as the driver and occupants scrambled to safety seconds before the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Officials said the bus was completely gutted by the time firefighters arrived at the scene.

The bus, operated by Shah Travels, was on its way to drop employees at a company in Ranoli around 6 am.

The officers with the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services said that after picking up two staff members early in the morning, the driver noticed smoke emanating from the vehicle. “Within moments, a suspected electrical short circuit triggered a fire that spread swiftly through the CNG-powered bus. The occupants dashed out of the bus, in the nick of time,” said an officer.

A team from the Panigate Fire Station rushed to the spot and managed to bring the fire under control.

Officials added that the Fire and Police departments have launched a detailed probe to ascertain the cause of the incident.

Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.

Expertise:

Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:

Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.

Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.

Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).

Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.

Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. … Read More