PUNE: Prompt action by the workers of two Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) workshops in Dapodi averted a major loss when a fire broke out in the scrap yard on Thursday. Two truckloads of scrap material was gutted in the fire. As many as 20 workers received minor burn injuries and were given treatment at a nearby hospital. Speaking to TOI Uddhav Kate, mechanical engineer operations, admitted that the workers played a major role in averting big losses. The incident took place when tyres among the scrap material, stored in the divisional workshop’s backyard, caught fire. It was brought under control within two hours with the help of various fire brigades from nearby areas. V.M. Shejwal, a worker in spring department of central workshop said, “As there was no power, today being Thursday, most of the workers were resting. Some of them spotted smoke emanating from the scrap yard around 10.45 am. They immediately alerted other workers and around 1,000 workers of both divisional and central workshops swung into action.” Shejwal added that MSRTC had parked around 15 to 20 scrapped buses near the heap of scrap. There were also oil barrels stored near them. Without giving a thought to their safety, the workers started pushing the vehicles away from the areas under fire. “It was a difficult job, as some of the buses did not have steering wheels while others did not have proper tyres. But still around 80 to 100 workers pushed the buses and took them to the nearby open space,” he said, adding that some workers shifted 35 oil barrels and 150 to 200 tyres away from the raging fire. Shejwal said, the fire did not spread to other places and did not cause major damage due to the prompt action taken by the workers. In the process, around 20 workers received minor burn injuries. They were treated in the nearby hospital and discharged. Appreciating the prompt action by the workers, Kate said, had the buses caught fire, the MSRTC would have suffered a loss of around Rs 1.5 lakh per bus. Z.S. Pirjade, store keeper, divisional workshop, MSRTC said, the exact cause of fire was not known but it could not have resulted due to short circuit, as there was no power when the fire broke out. Fire engines of Rahatni sub-office of PCMC, KCB, PMC and Century Enka alongwith MSRTC’s fire engines reached the workshop and extinguished the fire.