Bornem (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A single bus fire occurred this morning at the Stationsplein near Bornem. The abandoned bus had no occupants and suffered no harm. The malfunctioning heating system on the bus likely led to its damaging fire outcome.
The Stationsplein in Bornem witnessed a bus engine fire this morning, but no one was injured because the vehicle remained unoccupied. The malfunction in the heating system triggered the fire at approximately 6:20 a.m. The rapid arrival of emergency services resulted in the complete destruction of the bus by fire.
A bus had caught fire at the Stationsplein in Bornem.
“The bus had yet to start its shift, so there were no people on the bus,”
Says Elke Wauters of the Rivierenland Police Zone.
“There were no casualties, but the bus was almost completely burned out.”
The cause is probably the heating.
“It was a very cold night. That’s why the driver immediately turned on the heating this morning. Something must have gone wrong, causing it to catch fire and the bus to catch fire. The driver was also unharmed.”
What is the history behind the bus fire in Bornem?
This fire at Bornem’s Stationsplein represents a minimal yet critical safety concern within the public transport system. The Belgian Federal Transport Department recorded 12 bus fires across Belgium during the past five years, where mechanical failures caused 75% of all cases. Heating systems become more susceptible to failure when severe weather occurs prior to the incident.
Public transportation in Antwerp province passes through Bornem, which makes this incident stand out. The Rivierenland Police Zone operates in this area and launched an investigation to determine the root cause of the incident, particularly related to the failure of the heating system.
