A major fire mishap was averted after an alert driver evacuated passengers from an RTC electric bus that caught fire near Alugunuru on Sunday morning. The bus, belonging to the Karimnagar-2 depot, was en route from Karimnagar to Secunderabad when the incident occurred around 8 am, about 15 minutes after it left the bus station. Officials said the driver noticed a burning smell and immediately opened the emergency doors, alerting around 40 passengers on board, who evacuated safely.