Mysuru: Two schoolchildren escaped unhurt when the van in which they were travelling in caught fire on the move near Vijaya Bank in Kuvempunagar here on Tuesday.The vehicle was, however, burnt to cinders before the fire fighters arrived. No one was hurt in the incident.Yogesh, the driver of the Omni, was ferrying the students back home in the evening when he noticed smoke at the rear end of the vehicle. He immediately stopped the vehicle and found a small fire. Two students were on board when the incident occurred.Fire station officer Nagaraj Urs told TOI that they got a call around 3.45 pm. The Omni was on fire when we reached the spot. It was abandoned on the road, next to a jeep, a security vehicle of HDFC bank. The jeep, too, caught fire in the front tyre. "We were summoned only after the fire almost engulfed the vehicle," he said.The officer claimed that a gas leakage could be a possible cause for the fire. The vehicle was fitted with a gas kit.KR sub division ACP N M Dharmappa confirmed the incident and said the alert driver saved the lives of children on board. Kuvempunagar police have registered a case.

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