Jamshedpur, June 24: A mishap was averted after railway staff at the Tatanagar station noticed smoke billowing from the wheels of the New Delhi-bound Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Superfast Express at the station this morning.

The smoke, caused by a fire in the wheels, was noticed by the railway mechanical department staff as the train trudged into platform number one at station at about 6.20 this morning.

“The staff members saw thick white smoke billowing from four wheels of the AC two-tier coach (third from rear end). The fire could have been caused due to excessive heating of the axle box (placed above the wheels),” sources at the Tatanagar station said, adding that fire extinguishers were used to douse the flames.

Divisional railway manager of Chakradharpur division of South Eastern Railway R.K. Singh has ordered a probe into the incident. He has directed senior division mechanical engineer S. Birua to submit a report in two days.

“A team from the Khurdha division of the East Coast Railway will also visit Tatanagar station to ascertain the reasons for the outbreak of the fire. They will be involved since the train had originated from Puri station, which is under Khurdha division,” a senior railway official said.

The train was detained for nearly one-and-a-half-hours following the incident. The AC coach was replaced with another one and the train left the station around 8.15 am.

Railway officials have ruled out the possibility of sabotage. According to station manager A.K. Chattopadhyay, the fire was caused due to friction in the axle box. “The fire was detected in time. Had the train been in motion, it could have caused a major accident. The coach could have been derailed,” he said.

Railway officials hinted that there was “laxity” on the part of the mechanical department staff of Khurdah division. “The lubricant in the axle box which helps it keep cool had run out, resulting in friction,” railway officials said.