Traffic came to a standstill on Monday after a MyCiTi bus went up into flames on the busy N2 highway.
Videos of the blaze were shared almost immediately after it occurred just before 8am.
Liezl Steenkamp, the City of Cape Town’s spokesperson for Urban Mobility, Spatial Planning and Environment; Corporate Services, said the City was informed at 7.48am that an N2 Express bus caught alight on the N2 inbound lane, close to Bhunga Avenue, Langa.
“The City’s Fire Services assisted with extinguishing the fire, and we can confirm that the bus driver and approximately 60 passengers disembarked unharmed,” she said.
It is understood the bus was on its way from Mitchells Plain to the Civic Centre station in the CBD.
Passengers had noticed smoke coming from the rear of the bus and immediately wysed the driver.
Steenkamp said the driver pulled over and almal evacuated safely.
“A replacement bus was on the scene within minutes to transport the passengers to the Civic Centre station.”
For close to an hour, two left lanes on the N2 inbound at Jan Smuts Drive in Athlone were closed to traffic as well as the Jan Smuts Drive off-ramp while authorities were on the scene.
Mop-up efforts lasted until about midday.
Rob Quintas, Mayco member for the City’s Urban Mobility, said its directorate is investigating the cause of a fire that broke out.
“We will investigate the cause of the fire with assistance from the vehicle operating company, independent assessors, insurers, and the vehicle manufacturer,” Quintas added.
“Thus, more details will only be available once the assessments have been completed.
“More importantly, I’m extremely grateful that nobody was injured.”
Quintas thanked the passengers and the driver for staying calm and responsive.
“I also want to express my appreciation to the SAPS and the City’s firefighters for their prompt assistance,” he added.
The councillor, via his Facebook Page, also said that although it was too early to confirm the cause of the blaze, arson is not suspected right now.
“Details will be confirmed after the relevant vehicle operating company, fire, SAPS, independent assessors and insurers have completed their investigations,” Quintas wrote.
“We apologise for the disruptions on the N2 this morning; however, we are grateful that no injuries were sustained, and for the prompt response and reaction of safety services.”