School Bus Catches Fire With Special Needs Kids Inside

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School Bus Catches Fire With Special Needs Kids Inside as Nearby Windows Smash Due to Blaze

A huge plume of smoke was seen rising as a school bus for special needs children bus caught fire in the middle of the road in Hackney, London this morning. The London Fire Brigade received 42 calls to the large blaze

BBC 21 JAN 2023







Aftermath of school bus fire, Hackney

Massive plumes of smoke were spotted in East London after a 30-seater bus caught fire with three special needs children on board.

The bus was confirmed as a Hackney SEND school bus, which caught fire and forced the evacuation of the children inside.


Witnesses said the intensity of the fire caused nearby cars to melt and windows to smash in nearby homes. One of the children's mothers took the children away from the fire and into her home to shield them from the blaze.

None of the children were reported to have been injured.

Hackney Council said they are offering support to those involved and believe the incident to be isolated.

In a statement, Councillor Caroline Woodley, Cabinet Member for Families, Parks and Leisure said the bus "was carrying three primary school children and was forced to stop after smoke was detected from the front of the vehicle."


She added: "The bus was quickly evacuated and nobody was injured. The mum of one of the children took all those involved into her home where they were shielded from the sight of the blaze.

"I want to thank the mother and the Council staff whose swift actions today ensured the safety and wellbeing of the children."

It is not yet known what caused the fire. The council said safety inspections on the vehicles occurred every 10 weeks and that "fleet vehicles owned and operated by Hackney are maintained to a very high standa


It is not yet known what caused the fire

Further inspections will be taking place in light of the blaze.

Witness and local resident Tamzin Davies said: "Obviously all the children were taken very quickly. I think that's everyone's main concern.

"I believe it was put out rather quickly however, the damage in that short amount of time is enormous."

Another witness to the aftermath questioned why the bus was left on the roads for a number of hours after the incident.

Screen grab taken from PA video of local resident Tamzin Davies, who witnessed the fire on a 30-seater bus that was damaged, along with six other vehicles and surrounding properties, on Wilton Way in Hackney, East London

They said: "How is it possible a school bus can blow up with children on it who were thankfully rescued, be on fire and just be left for hours?"

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) received 42 calls to the large blaze that also damaged six other vehicles on Wilton Way.

In a statement, LFB said: "Firefighters tackled a bus fire on Wilton Way in Hackney this morning (January 20).

"A 30-seater bus was damaged by fire. Six other vehicles and a small part of several surrounding properties were also damaged by the blaze.

"All passengers had left the vehicle before the Brigade arrived. There have been no reports of injuries."





Bus fire in Wilton Way, Hackney
The fire melted cars nearby