A double-decker bus burst into flames in a dramatic fire in a south-west London street.
The driver escaped and was taken to hospital after the blaze broke out on the 371 bus near the Guildhall/Rose Theatre stop in High Street, Kingston, just after 9am.
Two fire crews battled flames before getting the blaze under control just after 10am.
Pictures and videos shared on social media showed bright orange flames engulfing the back of the bus as a plume of dark grey smoke funnelled towards the sky.
Witness Martin Delaney, who arrived on the scene as firefighters had got the blaze under control, said the scene was “pretty chaotic”.
Mr Delaney, who shared photos of the burnt-out bus with wires hanging from its rear, added: “The road was taped off, there were acrid burning smells, local shops’ fire alarms or smoke detectors had been triggered – it was quite a mess.”
It was not clear whether anyone else was on board the bus but London Ambulance Service staff were at the scene to treat people for smoke inhalation.
There were no casualties, except the driver who was treated for smoke inhalation before being taken to a south-west London hospital.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said local residents were evacuated “as a safety precaution” and road closures were in place.
Tony Akers, Transport for London’s head of bus operations, said the cause of the fire was not known, but a “full investigation” would take place.
