A fire broke out in an Arriva transport business depot in Doetinchem, the Netherlands, on Thursday afternoon.
A bus fuelled by hydrogen caught fire. The local fire department stated on Twitter that no one was hurt. The cause of the fire has yet to be identified, and it is currently being investigated.
Arriva bought ten Urbino 12 fuel cell buses from the Polish manufacturer Solaris this year. They will begin driving in the province of Gelderland in December of this year. The hydrogen bus can accommodate up to 85 passengers.
According to media accounts, the first of these buses was only delivered this week and has already supposedly burnt down. Its flames are alleged to have spread throughout the structure. Residents were advised not to approach the fire site due to the possibility of an explosion, according to the fire department. As a result, she had fought the fire from the outside.
According to the news blog Omroep Gelderland, explosions could be heard throughout the fire. Tires, according to the fire department, may have also been to blame. The Dutch alarm system NL-Alarm was momentarily triggered due to the smoke development; people should not go outside and close windows and doors.
The burned-out depot will be dismantled now. Arriva is unsure what will happen to the remaining hydrogen buses that were ordered. It’s unclear whether the delivery of the other buses would be delayed as long as the cause of the fire isn’t determined.
There have been several fires in Germany that have resulted in the destruction of electric buses. For example, a fire at a bus facility in Stuttgart four weeks ago resulted in the destruction of 25 vehicles. According to reports, the fire started on the roof of a charging electric bus. However, there are little traces that may be utilized to further investigate the fire’s source.
