Monday morning: a Stagecoach double decker bus catches fire at the bus stop outside Lloyds Bank.
http://youtu.be/q0Nt9pe8x9M
Wiltshire Fire Service told MNO they received several calls at about 8.30 on Monday morning that a bus was on fire in the High Street outside Lloyds Bank.
They sent two fire crews – one from Marlborough and one from Calne.
Neither passengers, bus driver or passers-by were involved in the incident.
Firemen used breathing apparatus while putting the fire out. By 9.30am the crews had extinguished the fire but were still in attendance damping down.
A spokesperson for Stagecoach West told Marlborough News Online:
“We are aware of the incident that happened this morning and at this early stage, the cause of the fire is unknown. The vehicle will be recovered to Swindon depot where a full investigation into the cause will be carried out.”
The bus fire in the High Street started a pollution alert for the River Kennet as fuel from the bus was washed into drains with the water used to put the fire out – and so into the river. Several members of Action for the River Kennet (ARK) phoned the Environment Agency to report the pollution which spread along the full length of the river through the town.
However the Agency said that as the fuel had formed a ‘thin sheen’ on the surface it would be best to allow it to disperse.
ARK’s Charlotte Hitchmough says that members want to be able to do something about this sort of incident and she is suggesting to the Agency that they might provide small scale oil booms which members could deploy round drain outlets and so protect the river.
The clear-up……..
The pollution…… (pics courtesy of Val Compton)
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