Driver praised after bus blaze near city uni

A DOUBLE-DECKER bus caught fire outside Warwick University in Coventry yesterday.

Passengers aboard a National Express bus were evacuated by the quick thinking driver when his double decker bus became engulfed in flames on Gibbet Hill Road, shortly after 9am.

Thankfully, all passengers were unscathed, with the ambulance service crediting the driver for his actions.

He has since been taken to hospital after suffering from smoke inhalation.

Local fire crews were called to the scene, where the bus fast became an inferno.

West Midlands Fire Service confirmed that they deployed two engines to the scene on Gibbet Hill Road.

One came from Coventry Fire Station, with the other from Canley.

In total, 10 firefighters tackled the blaze.

A fire service spokesperson confirmed that on arrival, the bus was “completely on fire”.

West Midlands Ambulance Service have praised the driver of the bus, following the incident.

The service sent an ambulance and a paramedic officer to the scene.

A spokesperson said: “When the driver noticed the smoke and flames coming from the engine compartment of his bus, he stopped immediately and then made sure that all the passengers were off before leaving the vehicle himself.

“Due to his swift action, he was the only casualty, suffering from smoke inhalation.

“After treatment at the scene, he was taken to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire for further monitoring.

“There seems little doubt that his actions ensured the situation was not considerably more serious.”

National Express Coventry first Tweeted that due to the incident, there would be severe disruption to both their number 11 and 12X services. It is believed that the bus in question was a number 11 service.

A National Express spokesperson said: “There was a fire on a National Express Coventry double decker bus this morning at Gibbet Hill interchange.

“All our passengers were safely taken off the bus. West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service came to the scene and we are very grateful for their help. We will be carrying out a full investigation into what happened. National Express Coventry 11 and 12X bus services are being diverted at the moment. We apologise to our customers.”