AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT — Panic briefly flared in Ahmedabad on Tuesday afternoon, July 14, 2026 after a passenger train coach parked at the Sabarmati Kaligam railway yard suddenly erupted in flames. Thanks to swift intervention by emergency services and railway staff, a potential disaster was averted, and no injuries were reported.

The incident occurred during the quiet afternoon hours when thick plumes of black smoke began billowing from the railway yard, visible from several parts of the city.

The incident began when alert; on-duty railway staff noticed thick smoke and immediately contacted the fire control room as intense flames rapidly spread through the coach within minutes. Fortunately, Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) confirmed that the carriage was completely empty and out of service at the time, successfully preventing any potential casualties. To halt a dangerous chain reaction, quick-thinking railway crews swiftly isolated the burning coach, separating it from adjacent trains and structures to contain the hazard.

Upon receiving the distress call, AFES dispatched four fire tenders to the Sabarmati Kaligam yard to battle the raging blaze.

First responders deployed water jets from multiple angles, prioritizing the containment of the fire to ensure it did not leap to nearby coaches parked in the yard. Through coordinate efforts, the fire crews successfully brought the flames under control before they could cause widespread damage to the facility.

While the fire was safely extinguished, the exact cause of the ignition remains a mystery. "The cause of the fire was not immediately known," an AFES officer stated. "Railway authorities are actively inquiring into how the fire started and whether any routine maintenance work was actively being carried out on the coach when the incident occurred."

A formal inquiry board has been established to examine the physical condition of the coach, map out the timeline of the fire, and identify any potential electrical or mechanical failures that could have triggered the blaze.