A major fire completely destroyed a premium double-decker bus owned by PO Gunung Harta in the Nganjuk area, East Java, early Saturday (1/8) at around 00:15 WIB. The newly purchased Volvo bus was reportedly completely gutted, leaving only a metal frame, with material losses estimated at IDR 3.5 billion.
The harrowing incident began when the bus, with license plate number B 7572 KGA carrying 30 passengers, was traveling from Pondok Cabe to Jember. Mid-journey, the bus's electrical system suddenly malfunctioned, marked by a total blackout of all vehicle lights. The bus driver, Purwanto (61), immediately realized the danger and steered the bus to the side of the road before thick smoke began pouring out from the dashboard area.
Aware of a short circuit originating from the fuse box, Purwanto acted quickly by turning off the sensor system, shutting down the air conditioning (AC), and disconnecting the battery cables to minimize the spread of the fire. Together with the backup driver and the conductor, he immediately evacuated all the passengers, who had panicked inside the pitch-black cabin. Thanks to the swift rescue action, all passengers managed to escape safely, although some luggage in the cargo hold was destroyed by the fire.
Efforts to extinguish the fire involved at least six units from the joint fire departments of Nganjuk and Madiun Regency Fire and Rescue Services. It took firefighters about two hours to completely extinguish the fire and cool down the wreckage of the bus. To prevent traffic congestion on the route, personnel from the East Java 6 Nganjuk Highway Patrol (Sat PJR) along with the Jasa Marga team quickly secured the area and directed traffic around the scene.
