Dozens of buses parked in one Essex the storage yard was destroyed by a fire believed to have been started deliberately.
Fire crews were called to the scene between Chadwell St Mary’s and Linford just after 6pm on Friday evening.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said the fire was already spreading rapidly between the buses when they arrived.
Footage from the scene in Muckingford Road shows thick black smoke billowing into the sky with vehicles turned into metal shells.
Firefighters had the incident under control by 9pm, with two crews staying behind to tackle hot spots.
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Station manager Lee Hurst said an investigation had already determined the fire was likely to have been started deliberately.
He said: “This was a significant and challenging incident involving a large number of vehicles.
‘Thank you for the trouble JOBS and the professionalism of our firefighters, supported by Essex Police, service providers and local farmers, we were able to bring the fire under control and prevent it from spreading further.
I would like to thank all the partner agencies and members of the local community who assisted us throughout the incident.
Essex Police said officers were working closely with the fire service to establish the cause of the fire, but it was being treated as suspected arson.
A statement said: “No arrests have been made and we are working on a number of lines of inquiry.”
Roads in the area that were closed while crews battled the fire reopened around 9 p.m.
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