Students look on as the Lancashire college bus explodes into flames

An Arriva double-decker bus used to transport students from Runshaw College, Leyland, suddenly burst into flames as it was waiting outside the college. The incident occurred just as pupils were finishing lessons and due to board the bus.

A school warden who was on duty at the time, helping to line up the buses as they arrived at the school, has been praised for his quick thinking which averted a serious disaster. The warden and the bus driver detected a smell of smoke and although they didn’t see any visible signs of a fire, they evacuated the bus anyway.

All passengers onboard including the driver and a handful of passengers were instructed to leave the vehicle. They all succeeded in getting off the bus safely and no one was injured in the accident.

The explosion did cause panic as one 16-year-old student, Sam Davey, said: “everyone was running away” as they caught sight of the fire. Another teenager added, “It was pretty frightening, and everyone seemed really shocked.”

It is believed that the fire was caused by an electrical fault behind the driver’s seat which triggered the blaze. The flames destroyed the double-decker bus and the bus stop where it was parked. It is also said to have caused partial damaged to another vehicle parked nearby.