Orpington fire: ‘Huge explosions’ heard as seven buses destroyed in blaze at London depot

Sixty firefighters tackle blaze at garage on outskirts of capital as several vehicles engulfed in flames

Eleven buses caught fire at a depot in Orpington after residents reported hearing several large explosions (LFB)

Seven buses have been destroyed following a series of “huge explosions” after a fire broke out at a London bus depot.

More than 60 firefighters were called to the blaze at a garage in Orpington, on the southeast edge of the capital, just after 3.30am on Thursday morning.

At the height of the blaze, eleven buses were alright and London Fire Brigade (LFB) received more than 40 calls from members of the public as smoke was seen rising into the sky.

London Fire Brigade received more than 40 emergency calls over the incident (LFB)

Locals reported hearing several loud bangs in the early hours of the morning as vehicles were engulfed by the flames.

“Woken up by 10 huge explosions and what looks like a big fire near Sevenoaks Road in Orpington,” one wrote on Twitter.

LFB said its crews had worked on arrival to stop the fire spreading to more buses and around 30 vehicles had been moved out of harm’s way.

Seven buses were completely destroyed in the blaze and a further four were badly damaged, the brigade said.

The fire was brought under control by around 6.30am. Crews will remain on the scene to damp down affected vehicles.

The cause of the incident is currently unknown.

A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson, said: “We are assisting the emergency services and the bus operator Go-Ahead with an investigation into a fire at Orpington Bus Garage. Bus services in the area are impacted on routes 358, 684 and R8.”