A fire incident struck a PO Gunung Harta double-decker bus at KM 631 of the Nganjuk Toll Road on early Saturday (1/8). The swift response of the driver, Purwanto (61), was the key to a crucial rescue that saved dozens of passengers and crew from death before the flames completely consumed the entire body of the bus.
The Volvo fleet vehicle with license plate number B 7572 KGA was known to be on a long-distance journey from Pondok Cabe, Jakarta, to its final destination in Jember, East Java. Mid-journey, two passengers were scheduled to get off in Surabaya and two others in Pasuruan, while the rest continued their journey to Jember.
The chronology of the incident began around 00:15 WIB when thick smoke suddenly emerged from the front deck of the bus. Realizing there was an indication of fire, Purwanto immediately acted swiftly to wake the backup driver and the conductor to evacuate the passengers, most of whom were fast asleep.
The emergency rescue efforts paid off as all passengers managed to exit the bus before the fire grew larger. Although all lives were saved with no casualties, some of the passengers' belongings could not be evacuated in time and were burned to ashes along with the bus body.
