Glebe bus fire: Bus headed to Martin Place catches fire in Glebe on Monday afternoon
Passengers had to jump for their lives on Monday evening when a bus caught fire on a busy road in Glebe, leaving it completely destroyed.
NSW
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Hundreds of people were evacuated from inner city businesses after a bus fire on a major Sydney roadway during peak hour on Monday.
The 438X service from Abbotsford to Martin Place caught alight at the intersection of Glebe Pt Rd and Parramatta Rd, Glebe about 6pm, sending smoke and flames across the inner-city streets.
Three fire trucks arrived soon after to battle the flames but the vehicle was entirely engulfed and could not be saved.
No one was hurt despite the inferno, which firefighters at the scene said is believed to have been sparked by an electrical fault at the front of the bus.
Fire and Rescue Glebe Station Manager John Downie said police and fire crews had to evacuate hundreds of patrons at Victoria Park Pool and several shops on Parramatta Rd next to the burning bus.
He said four passengers who were onboard the flaming vehicle had escaped quickly thanks to the “quick thinking” bus driver, who tried to put out the flames before evacuating the bus.
“It was a pretty heavy fire, very heavily involved within the bus and the breeze helped spread it, and we did have some smoke travel into nearby businesses...we had 50 people evacuated on Parramatta Rd and a further 300 from the Victoria Park Pool,” Mr Downie said.
“The driver looked after his passengers, he was cool calm and collected… he tried to put it out with the extinguisher but smoke was filling the area fast so he got everyone out safely.”
The blaze was extinguished by 6:30pm but the gutted husk of the bus remained on Parramatta Rd, with burnt debris and extinguishing foam littered around the roadway.
The incident caused significant traffic delays in both directions at peak hour, with traffic westbound banked back into Ultimo and Surry Hills for close to an hour.
Mr Downie said fire investigators would continue to examine the wreckage to confirm whether an electrical fault was the cause.
“We think it started in the front area with the electrical components, and it spread fast through the roof cavity and the frame of the bus… but we’ll need to examine it further,” he said.
“Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent Luke Unsworth said “heavy machinery” would likely be needed to move the burnt bus off the road due to how badly damaged it was.
He thanked the driver for his “proactive” efforts to extinguish the flames.
“Through the proactive actions of the driver all of the passengers were evacuated from the bus and firefighters could simply concentrate on the fire,” Supt Unsworth said.
“We’re working with Sydney’s bus services… to get the bus off the roadway as soon as possible considering how badly damaged it is by fire.”
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