KUALA LUMPUR: A Rapid KL bus caught fire near the Aeon Big shopping mall at Section 5, Wangsa Maju, this evening.
In the 4pm incident, the bus, carrying six passengers, came to a halt as the bus driver smelled smoke, believed to have come from the engine.
The bus driver hurried the passengers out before the bus was engulfed in flames. Six cars which were parked nearby also caught fire as a result.
City Fire and Rescue Department chief operations officer Samsol Maarif Saibani said firemen were alerted to the incident at 4pm.
Firemen from the Keramat, Setapak, and Wangsa Maju fire and rescue departments were rushed to the scene.
He said firemen took about 20 minutes to control and put out the blaze.
Meanwhile, Rapid Bus Sdn Bhd, in a statement, asked for the owners of the affected cars to call 03-7885 2585 or email suggest@rapidkl.com.my, for compensation.
"We will offer our full cooperation to the authorities to investigate the cause of fire and the estimation of loss. Rapid Bus would like to apologise over the incident which also disrupted traffic at the location," it said.