More than 30 double-decker buses go up in flames at depot as police launch arson investigation

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 20:34, 6 June 2026 | Updated: 20:47, 6 June 2026 More than 30 double-decker buses have been destroyed after a fire was started 'deliberately' at a depot in Essex. Towering plumes of thick black smoke filled the skies following the incident at a vehicle storage area in Muckingford Road shortly before 7pm on Friday. Road closures in the immediate area were put in place as Essex Police and Essex County Fire and Rescue Service crews worked together to contain the blaze. Officials said 36 buses had been completely wrecked by the fire, which took more than two hours to extinguish.  Police have now launched an arson investigation after fire officers determined the blaze had been intentionally started. No arrests have yet been made.  Essex Police said in a statement: 'We're investigating an incident in Linford which led to damage being caused to a number of buses. 'Alongside colleagues at Essex County Fire and Rescue, we attended a fire at a vehicle storage area in Muckingford Road shortly before 7pm last night, Friday 5 June. 'At this stage it is being treated as a suspected arson. We are working closely with fire service colleagues to establish the cause of the fire.' More than 30 double-decker buses have been destroyed after a fire was started 'deliberately' at a depot in Essex on Friday evening Towering plumes of thick black smoke filled the skies following the incident at a vehicle storage area in Muckingford Road, Essex Officials said 36 buses had been completely wrecked by the fire, which took more than two hours to extinguish Muckingford Road, East TilburyFirefighters were called to tackle a large fire involving 36 double decker buses at a storage yard in Chadwell St Mary this eveningFirefighters worked hard to get the fire under control, and by 9pm were able to reduce the number of crews at the… pic.twitter.com/eVbhmFBcwk Station Manager Lee Hurst from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service added: 'This was a significant and challenging incident involving a large number of vehicles.  'Thanks to the hard work and professionalism of our firefighters, supported by Essex Police, utility providers and local farmers, we were able to bring the fire under control and prevent further spread. 'I would like to thank all of the partner agencies and members of the local community who assisted us throughout the incident. 'The fire investigation has determined that the fire was started deliberately.' Anyone with information is asked to contact Essex Police or 101 quoting incident 1206 of 5 June, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.