Fire that destroyed 36 buses 'started deliberately'

Fire that destroyed 36 buses 'started deliberately'

5 hours ago

About 36 double-decker buses have been destroyed after an arson attack at a depot.

Flames took hold at the Chadwell St Mary depot, near Grays in Essex, shortly after 18:00 BST on Friday, the county's fire service said.

A huge cloud of thick black smoke was seen billowing from the site, with crews from Grays, Basildon and Orsett bringing the fire under control by 21:00.

Station manager Lee Hurst said: "This was a significant and challenging incident involving a large number of vehicles."

He said an investigation found the blaze was started deliberately and thanked both firefighters and local farmers for their help in tackling it.

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