Fire engulfs double-decker bus on M27 motorway

Flames engulfed the vehicle during rush hour on Thursday
Dave Swateridge/Twitter

A double-decker bus has been engulfed by flames on a busy motorway.

The M27 saw severe traffic between Portsmouth and Southampton on Thursday evening as firefighters rushed to tackle the blaze.

The fire was first reported at around 5.20pm on the section of the road between Paulsgrove and Fareham in Hamphshire.

Three lanes were shut as emergency services continued to tackle the flames more than an hour later.

Graham Witcher/Twitter

A 4.5 mile-long traffic jam built up along the westbound carriageway, as Highways England warned motorists of severe delays to journey times.

The cause of the blaze has not yet been confirmed.

A spokesman for Hampshire Fire and Rescue Services told the Standard: "Fortunately there we no casualties as the bus was well alight and heavy black smoke was emanating from the vehicle on the hard shoulder as crews arrived.

"The motorway was closed as firefighters extinguished the fire using jets and a compressed air foam system."

The incident was resolved just after 7pm.

Onlookers shared footage of the dramatic scene on social media.

One Twitter user wrote: “Just drove past big bus fire on #M27 on opposite carriageway with huge smoke.

“Back of bus burning and fire engines trying to get through traffic with no hard shoulder.

“Glad I was going in the opposite direction and hope nobody was hurt.

“Can smell fumes in the garden now.”

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