Of the vehicle, only a charred carcass remains.
This Tuesday morning, at 7:06 a.m. precisely, a bus on line A of the Transdev Meaux et Ourcq network caught fire while traveling at the level of avenue de la Victoire in Meaux towards the station.
The six passengers on board, as well as the driver, were able to get off in time and no one was injured.
“Our driver reacted very well, assures Dalila Guettouche, the director of the network.
He was able to stop right next to the Georges-Claude stop which he had just left so that travelers could be safe.
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“He said to me:
sir, your bus is on fire
”
It was the driver of an ambulance who warned him of the danger.
“He was behind and he saw that smoke and then flames were coming out of the engine compartment, says Bromer, the driver.
He honked his horn and then walked up to the front door.
He said to me:
sir, your bus is on fire.
I hadn't had any lights that came on, nor any problems with the engine though.
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“He kept his cool, stopped to get everyone off and alerted our centralized command post,” said Dalila Guettouche.
"I yelled at travelers to take their things and get out the front door," said the experienced 60-year-old driver.
Then a colleague arrived and we wanted to take the fire extinguisher but it was already too late.
We waited for the fire department to arrive.
As of 1 p.m. this Wednesday, Bromer had already taken the wheel to resume his tour.
Firefighters then intervened to put out the fire, while a security perimeter and a diversion were set up, causing disruption in the area.
“In fact, it was very complicated to circulate in Meaux, because there was our bus on fire but also a traffic accident near Coubertin at the same time”, confides the director of the network.
The bus, which was running on diesel, was towed to the Poincy depot in an attempt to understand the origin of the fire.
“As a precaution, we immediately blocked the four Solaris brand buses so that they could be checked by our services,” says Dalila Guettouche.
