Horror as bus bursts into flames in Twickenham
Firefighters were called into action after a bus burst into flames in Twickenham.
Footage posted online showed London Fire Brigade (LFB) staff battling the blaze in the middle of the road this afternoon.
An LFB spokesman said five fire engines and around 30 firefighters tackled the fire on Richmond Road.
Think this is a bus that's on fire in Twickenham @TwickenhamNub pic.twitter.com/s5gNV064zI
— twitwardio (@twitwardio) May 18, 2024
They said: “One diesel single decker bus was destroyed by the fire. All passengers and the driver left the bus before the Brigade's arrival. There are no reports of any injuries.
“The road remains closed following the incident and people are advised to avoid the area for the rest of the day.
The Brigade was called at 1318 and the incident was over for firefighters at 1426. Crews from Twickenham, Richmond, Heston and Kingston fire stations attended the scene.
“The cause of the fire is under investigation.”
It is not the first time a London bus has caught fire this year – in January a blaze broke out on a double-decker at Putney Bus Garage and similar incidents happened in North Woolwich and Wimbledon in the same month.
Bus users in that part of southwest London have also faced months of uncertainty with planned strikes by bus workers scheduled and then called off.
Around 40 members of control room staff, based in Battersea and Twickenham, called off a planned strike after negotiations with Transport UK formerly known as Abellio.
The industrial action would have affected routes in south and south west London including the 24, 27, 111, 156, 159, 267, 285, 322, 344, 345, 415, 490, 969, H20, H25, H26, R68 and the R70.