Bus filmed bursting into flames outside busy shopping centres

Passengers were evacuated from a bus just minutes before it became completely engulfed in flames outside a shopping centre.

Scary footage has shown a public bus engulfed in flames parked next to a busy shopping centre just metres from dozens of other vehicles.

The scene was captured at The Valley Plaza in Green Valley, west of Sydney, on Monday by a member of the public who later uploaded footage to Reddit.

The witness said passengers were removed from the bus just minutes before it completely went up in flames.

Fire was initially shown spewing from above the driver’s seat as a thick blanket of smoke surrounded the vehicle.

Within seconds, angry flames were filmed shooting out the windows as searing pieces of glass were shot onto the ground.

The bus was completely engulfed within a few minutes. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

The fire began as a small blaze above the driver’s seat but quickly grew. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

Loud explosions were heard coming from the burning vehicle while huge flames surged into the sky above it.

“Not even four minutes ago there was nothing, just a little flame at the front of the bus. That’s how quick fires can start in this thing, man,” a man filming was heard saying.

Fire crews were shown attempting to extinguish the blaze a few minutes into the video, with water seen surging through the centre of the bus.

Tyres were heard exploding as onlookers watched from a distance.

The bus was completely gutted within a few minutes. Picture: Reddit/Ajmusso

The person behind the footage said the blaze started out “tiny” before taking over the whole vehicle.

“It only looked like a very tiny electrical fire in the overhead compartment but when I saw the air draft pull it up into the roof I backed way off,” they wrote in a comment.

He later added the passengers had only been off the bus for about five minutes before he started filming.

“So it’s very scary how much flammable material is used on the bus,” he wrote.

Transport NSW told news.com.au the driver evacuated all passengers immediately after noticing smoke in the cabin area.

“A driver stopped at The Valley Plaza just after 6pm on Monday evening August 8, 2022 and reported smoke coming from the cabin area,” a spokesperson said.

“Emergency services were immediately called and the bus passengers and immediate surrounding area were cleared safely by the bus driver.

“There will be a full investigation into the incident with the Office of Transport Safety (OTSI) notified by the operator.”

It was understood to have been a diesel bus.