An empty bus burst into flames in HCMC’s District 12 on Wednesday morning minutes after smoke was seen coming from its roof. 

A bus engulfed in flames in HCMC's District 12, February 24, 2021.
Photo by VnExpress/Phung Thinh.

There were no passengers and the driver and his assistant got out unscathed.

At around 6:30 a.m., Vu Duy Khang was driving the bus along Truong Chinh Street and entering the An Suong underpass when he noticed the smoke.

He stopped the bus immediately and got out along with his assistant.

Minutes afterward the bus was engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke billowing tens of meters high, eyewitnesses said.

It took around 30 minutes for firefighters to put out the fire, which burned the vehicle down to its frame.

The bus is burned to its frame. Photo by VnExpress/Dinh Van.

The incident caused a traffic jam for around one hour.

Le Hoan, deputy director of the HCMC Management Center of Public Transport, said authorities are investigating the cause of the fire.