Hundreds of electric buses having safety checks after one bursts into flames inside south-west London depot

Footage posted online on Wednesday showed a vehicle burning inside Putney Bus Garage - the third electric bus to catch fire in recent weeks
Jacob Phillips25 January 2024

An electric bus has caught fire at a depot in Putney - the third to burst into flames in just weeks in London.

Footage posted online on Wednesday shows the bus burning inside Putney Bus Garage.

Bus company Go Ahead confirmed a single-deck electric bus caught fire and added that everyone at the garage was safely evacuated and the fire was promptly extinguished.

Go Ahead said that a precautionary check of around 380 electric buses is now taking place to make sure they are safe.

Around 20 people left the building before firefighters arrived and the blaze was put out quickly.

The London Fire Brigade said: "Firefighters tackled a fire involving an electric bus at a bus garage on Chelverton Road in Putney yesterday.

"Part of the bus was damaged by fire.

"Around 20 people left the building before firefighters arrived and there were no reports of any injuries.

"The Brigade’s 999 Control Officers received nine calls about the fire.

"The Brigade was called at 0821 and the fire was extinguished by 0913.

"Two fire engines from Fulham and Tooting Fire Stations attended the scene. The cause of the fire is under investigation."

Transport for London said: "Putney bus garage was partially closed following a fire on a bus.

"No one was on board the bus at the time and it was extinguished quickly.

"An investigation into the incident is now taking place."

The incident comes two weeks after an electric double-decker bus burst into flames in Wimbledon.

The fire on the route 200 bus on Wimbledon Hill Road happened early on January 11 and caused the road’s closure.

The Met Police and London Fire Brigade said there were no reported injuries, and Transport for London (TfL) said it was investigating the cause.

There is no evidence that the incidents have a common cause.

Following the incident Mayor Sadiq Khan’s office told the Standard all buses of the same model which operate along the 200 route - between Raynes Park and Mitcham - have been temporarily withdrawn.

Another electric bus was also destroyed by flames in Woolwich earlier this month.

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