TfL are investigating the cause of an electric double decker bus catching fire in Wimbledon, after a ‘huge bang’ was heard.
Three fire engines from the London Fire Brigade attended the scene in the morning on Thursday 11 January.
Max Pashley, a local resident, told City A.M.: “We heard a huge bang. We were terrified.”
Photos and videos from the event showed thick smoke billowing from the bus.
Road closures were also put in place for the morning.
Tom Cunnington, TfL’s Head of Buses Business Development, said: “Safety is our top priority and we are working with the operator, London General, and the bus manufacturer, Switch, to investigate what happened.
“The bus was quickly evacuated and there are no reported injuries.”
TfL have since provided a statement that ‘as a precaution’ the fleet of electric buses which run between Raynes Park and Mitcham will be removed from service. The BBC also reported that another bus caught fire on Friday 12 January, but Tfl said this was ‘unrelated’ to the incident on Thursday 11.
The moment an electric bus caught fire in Wimbledon during this morning's rush hour pic.twitter.com/6uH1FNhwfw
— UB1UB2 West London (Southall) (@UB1UB2) January 11, 2024
Further reading:
- Government releases fire safety guidance for electric vehicles in car parks
- BRE investigates causes and consequences of lithium-ion battery fires in new research
- Lithium-Ion battery fire safety – Your questions answered
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