Firefighters battle huge blaze as bus explodes during fire at depot

Firefighters had to battle a huge blaze after six buses caught alight at a depot on Sunday.

One witness, who captured the fire on camera, said he heard a noise that “sounded like a jet” and described seeing a bus burst into a ball of flames.

Fire crews managed to limit the spread of the blaze to other vehicles and buildings. At one point a huge fireball emerges from the billowing smoke.

Fire crews called to the scene battled the blaze and managed to limit it spreading to buildings and other vehicles, but said the incident had caused widespread disruption in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire, on Sunday (22 May).

Nobody is believed to have been injured and an investigation is underway into the cause of the incident.

According to one report, a bus driver said the fire was believed to have been caused by a battery exploding in one of the electric vehicles while it was charging, but that has not been confirmed.

In a statement Andy Hopcroft, deputy chief fire officer at Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a significant fire at Potters Bar Bus Garage at around 2.30 pm this afternoon.

“The first fire engine was on the scene within four minutes, where four buses were well alight.

“Neighbouring properties were quickly evacuated and the surrounding buildings and other buses were protected from fire.”

One unconfirmed report suggested the blaze started when the battery in an electric bus caught fire.

He added: “At the height of the fire eight fire engines were in attendance and a total of six buses were on fire – two electric hybrid and four diesel powered.

“Thanks to the efforts of the firefighters involved, the fire was contained to six buses and did not spread to cause further damage to other buildings and vehicles.”

He said the incident led to Potters Bar High Street being closed, resulting in “significant disruption” locally and impacting public transport.

Hopcroft added: “The cause and origin of the fire is currently under investigation and is yet to be established.”

Yahoo News.