Seven buses gutted in huge fire at depot

SEVEN buses were destroyed and four more seriously damaged in a huge blaze at a garage.

Sixty firefighters raced to the depot at 3.30am yesterday.

Crews worked for hours to stop the flames spreading to other buses and about 30 vehicles had to be driven to safety.

The red London buses, including several double deckers, are worth around £300,000 each. Locals said the inferno in Orpington, Kent, started as “a little fire” but “ignited within five minutes and buses were exploding”.

One, who asked not to be named, said: “I heard a huge bang and thought it was someone breaking into the garages.”

Another added: “It woke me up. It was like an awful alarm clock. The window was shaking.”

Kayleigh Kirk, 30, said: “My mum and I woke to about eight explosions. The windows were vibrating. It was quite scary.

“We could see two buses on fire and one was completely gutted. It quickly caught on to other buses.”

London Fire Brigade brought the blaze under control by 6.30am but crews remained for some time damping down affected vehicles.

No injuries were reported. Fire investigators are probing the cause. DAMAGE The depot in Kent