Overview
- A BEST bus at Santacruz depot (Bus No. 7762, MH01DR6157) caught fire in the early hours of May 27 after clutch repairs, officials said, and no one was injured.
- Depot staff from the contractor used about 20 fire extinguishers before the Mumbai Fire Brigade arrived at roughly 3:10 a.m. to douse the blaze.
- The Santacruz incident is the latest in a three‑incident cluster over three days that includes a May 24 fire at Pratiksha Nagar (Bus No. 7692) and a separate spark/smoke event at Magathane.
- Reports identify the vehicles as being operated or wet‑leased by private firms named Matoshree or Mateshwari, and media coverage notes variation in the contractor name across accounts.
- Authorities have launched technical inspections to probe causes and maintenance practices, a step that could trigger tighter oversight of contractor repairs and short‑term operational checks across BEST’s fleet.