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Fire that destroyed 36 buses 'started deliberately'

News imageEssex County Fire and Rescue Service A double-decker bus engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing from it.Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
Crews were still tackling the fire into Friday evening

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.

News imageEssex County Fire and Rescue Service A cloud of thick black smoke in an otherwise blue sky. In the foreground are a ploughed field and fire engines.Essex County Fire and Rescue Service
A cloud of thick black smoke has been billowing from the site
News imagePeter Lester-Tugwell A photo of a field, trees and houses, with the sky beyond filled with clouds of black smoke.Peter Lester-Tugwell
The fire set off a massive cloud of black smoke

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