Coaches and buses bursting into flames - why are they apparently so combustible? (merged topic)

[whole diary]

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Double decker destroyed in south London fire


The bus was out of service at the time

A double decker bus has been destroyed in a suspected engine fire in south London.

Fire broke out in the bus at about 09:20 GMT on Forest Hill Road in Wood Vale near to Honor Oak Park. Clouds of thick black smoke could be seen for miles around.

The route 172 bus was out of service when the fire broke out, with only the driver on board.

London Fire Brigade said the fire was quickly put out and no-one was hurt.

The Metropolitan Police said the blaze started with a suspected engine fire and was not suspicious.

Ken Davidson, Transport for London's head of bus operations said the fire was being investigated.

Now, I have raised this concern before, but whenever I see such stories, I wonder why buses are so apparently - well - combustible? 

[Surrey 455]

Just out of curiosity, what are buses made of?  What material was able to melt away like that?

[JayMac]

Extruded aluminium and aluminium panels for the structure typically. More modern buses than the one in this thread may make greater use of composite materials. Relatively low melting point for aluminium and with lots of laminates and plastics to fuel a fire I can see its perfectly possible for the 660 degrees celsius heat to be reached to melt the aluminium.

[onthecushions]

Where do bendy buses go to retire?

Malta, I'm told.

OTC

[trainer]

Where do bendy buses go to retire?

Malta, I'm told.

OTC

I seem to remember reading in Buses magazine that they've been banned from there some time ago after a series of engine fires.

[Chris from Nailsea]

I seem to remember reading in Buses magazine that they've been banned from there some time ago after a series of engine fires.

Indeed they were - from the London Evening Standard, on 29 August 2013:

Bendy buses sent from London to Malta taken off their roads after three burst into flames


Up in smoke: Malta have suspended the fleet after three went up in flames

The doomed bendy buses decommissioned by London Mayor Boris Johnson and shipped to Malta have been taken off the roads by the government after three burst into flames in as many days. The fleet of 68 of the so-called ^chariots of fire^ have been temporarily suspended while an investigation into the causes of the blazes is carried out. So far this year nine bendy buses have caught fire, with Malta^s transport ministry instructing operator Arriva to remove the unpopular vehicles.

No-one has been injured, but the incidents have prompted a barrage of complaints from the public already angered that the 18-metre buses have been brought in to negotiate Malta^s narrow and winding historic roads.

The Maltese fleet was bought from London in 2011 after being phased out by the Mayor who replaced them with a new-generation Routemaster. They had a chequered history in the capital, with a number of fires breaking out and cyclists complaining they were unsafe for other road users.

Decommissioning the vehicles, Mr Johnson said: ^These writhing whales of the road have swung their hefty rear ends round our corners for the final time.^

In a statement, Arriva said: ^The safety of our passengers, employees and vehicles is central to our operations. To have incidents occur so closely together is extremely rare and as a result we are taking the precautionary step of bringing our vehicles in for a series of checks before returning them into active service. While these checks take place we have appointed another transport operator to support the delivery of day-to-day services and reduce the impact for our customers. We are ensuring that all routes are covered. We apologise for the disruption but ask passengers to bear with us while we conclude these important checks. We would like to reassure them that we are looking to resolve the disruption as soon as possible.^

Arriva said it expects it to take up to five weeks for all vehicles to be checked.

Edit note: Details of date and context of article added, for clarity. CfN.

[Surrey 455]

I was in Cyprus earlier this month. The buses going past my hotel between Paralimni and Water Park via Ayia Napa were old (actually not that old) London single decker buses of the non bendy and non flammable variety. We caught one every evening for our nights out. They have been modified with air conditioning and speakers playing which ever radio station the driver fancied.

[Worcester_Passenger]

The Evening Standard story looks odd. There's a quote from Arriva - but I thought that they stopped running the buses on Malta att the end of 2013. Is this a re-cycling of an old story perhaps?

[stuving]

The Evening Standard story looks odd. There's a quote from Arriva - but I thought that they stopped running the buses on Malta att the end of 2013. Is this a re-cycling of an old story perhaps?

The  Evening Standard story is indeed dated 29 August 2013. That's why I think it helps to capture the date when copying a news item as a quotation.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Comments noted. I've amended my previous post to include details of the date and context of the article I quoted. My apologies for any confusion.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Bus engulfed by fireball on Kingston High Street

A bus erupted into a fireball on a busy street during rush hour, causing people to be evacuated from their homes and businesses.

The 371 service became engulfed in flames on High Street, Kingston, south-west London, at about 09:00 GMT.

The driver was taken to hospital for treatment for the effects of breathing in smoke.

There had been fears the bus might explode, although the fire has since been brought under control.

One witness told The Telegraph the scene was "pretty chaotic".

Witness Martin Delaney said: "The road was taped off, there were acrid burning smells, local shops' fire alarms or smoke detectors had been triggered - it was quite a mess."

No passengers required medical treatment. Transport for London said there would be a full investigation into the fire, the cause of which is not yet known.

Kingston High Street remains closed.

I think I have asked this question before, but what is it about modern buses that they are apparently so combustible? 

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Coach carrying 25 schoolchildren catches fire


The children were safely evacuated from the bus after the smell of smoke was detected

A coach carrying children to school caught fire on route to its destination in West Sussex.

Smoke was smelt on the bus, which had 25 children on board, at 08:20 BST on Vowels Lane, near East Grinstead.

Head teacher at Imberhorne School, Martin Brown, said all the pupils managed to get out safely before the blaze took hold.

"They are now in school and being monitored in case of any shock or upset after the event," he added.

The cause of the fire is being investigated.


The children are being monitored at school for "shock and upset"


The children were kept a safe distance from the burning bus, the school said

I rather think that I have raised this question before, in previous cases of such conflagrations, but why is it that buses seem to be quite so, erm, combustible? 

[chrisr_75]

Cars are much the same, it only takes a few minutes to reduce a car to a bare shell once a fire has taken hold.

Is that 3+2 seating I can see on that coach?

[JayMac]

Glad to read that everyone is okay.

My first thought on the cause is that maybe a radio/cassette unit had been supplied by Derek Trotter.

[Bmblbzzz]

It does look as if the fire started in the luggage compartment. It might have been in the transmission I suppose though.

As to the flammability of buses, surely it's because they're made of, or rather contain, lots of foam plastics and similar. I did once see a motorbike catch fire on the M4. I think the cause might have been a canvas pannier slipping on to hot exhaust – it overtook us and I noticed smoke, then some minutes later we saw it in considerably more smoke, lying on the ground, the rider having jumped off and all the traffic stopped (by a rather brave and very cool-headed woman stepping out of her car and giving an unmistakeable stop sign in lane 2). It took several more minutes till it really got going; it wasn't till it reached the petrol tank that it really flared up. But a coach won't have petrol so that's not a factor.