Bendy bus fire at Victoria station 'could be arson'

Initial inspections on a bendy bus which caught fire outside a railway station suggest arson may have been to blame rather than a mechanical fault, Transport for London (TfL) has said.

Thick black smoke was seen billowing from the number 73 in Terminus Place beside Victoria station in central London on Saturday morning.

Only the driver was on board and escaped without injury.

The emergency services and TfL have launched investigations.

The Metropolitan Police and London Fire Brigade said their inquiries were continuing.

The bus stops outside Victoria are now in operation again, having been closed while the fire was extinguished.

Passengers began using the bendy buses in 2001, but the fleet of 130 was temporarily withdrawn four years later when three of them caught fire.

They were put back into service once special fire-suppression equipment had been fitted.

There was also a fire on another vehicle in 2007, with flames coming from its heating system.