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Fire Started by Failure in Electric Bus Battery, Destroyed 40 Decommissioned Vehicles and Generated Explosions and Intense Smoke.
On Friday, a large fire destroyed 40 decommissioned buses in a public transport storage yard in the United States. The fire started after an issue with the battery of one of the electric vehicles.
Start of the Fire and Difficulty in Fighting
The fire started around 6 a.m. In no time, the emergency level was raised, and intense black smoke filled the sky.
Fire crews faced difficulties accessing the site due to the large number of parked vehicles and also due to water supply issues.
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Employees of the depot assisted in the initial firefighting efforts by moving some buses that were not yet affected to facilitate the firefighters’ work. With access cleared and the water supply normalized, the teams were able to control the flames.
During the fire, explosions were heard. The extreme heat caused the tires of the vehicles to burst, further complicating the situation.
Vehicles Were Already Out of Service
There were about 100 buses in the yard, including gas-powered and electric models. Of the 40 destroyed, 15 were electric.
These vehicles had been out of service for several years and were awaiting decisions about their fate, such as sale or scrapping.
The electric buses belonged to a manufacturer facing legal issues with the local public transport system.
Even though they were decommissioned, the vehicles still underwent periodic inspections, and their batteries were disconnected and cooling systems drained, following safety guidelines.
No injuries were reported in the incident.
Concern About Air and Safety Operation
The fire raised concerns about air quality. Local authorities reported that pollutants were detected during the fire, but the situation returned to normal after the flames were controlled.
Security teams also had to act quickly because, in the vicinity of the depot, there were small quantities of explosives used in training with sniffer dogs. All material was removed safely.
The affected depot is one of the largest facilities in the regional transport system and houses maintenance and storage activities, with about 600 employees working daily.
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