The incident occurred on a slip-road between the A2 near Dartford and the M25, one of Britain’s busiest motorways. The slip-road was closed while firefighters dealt with the fiery blaze.
The single-decker coach became engulfed with flames. Kent Fire & Rescue Service said that the fire started in the coach’s engine bay and then spread to the main body. Only the driver was on board at the time and nobody was injured but the coach has been destroyed.
The fire service said: “Crews were at the scene of a single-decker coach fire for approximately an hour. The blaze, which destroyed the vehicle, is believed to have started in the engine compartment and spread to the body of the coach. No one was injured and only the driver was on board at the time of the incident.”
Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus brought the flames under control as large plumes of smoke were seen rising from the vehicle and posted onto Twitter.
The blaze led to very long delays and completely stopped traffic on the motorway. Drivers attempted to alleviate their boredom by starting a game of football on the roadway as cars ground to a halt.
The fun ended when Kent Police became aware of the game and issued a warning on Twitter. They asked all drivers to remain in their vehicles, emphasizing that playing football on the motorway was dangerous.
The road is still queued for a mile back from the interchange where the coach stopped. The M25 is often slow during busy periods but road users today will have found it even worse than normal.
