Ternat (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A De Lijn bus burned on the E40 in Ternat Thursday night, Oct 16, 2025. The driver acted quickly; no injuries. Firefighters from Flemish Brabant West Fire Zone, led by Wouter Jeanfils, controlled the blaze.
As HLN News reported, late Thursday night on October 16th, 2025, a De Lijn bus was completely burned on the E40 in Ternat in the province of Flemish Brabant in Belgium. The bus was empty and heading to the depot when the driver heard a strange rattling sound and immediately stopped on the side of the freeway. Shortly after, smoke appeared. The driver called the fire department right away. No one was injured.
What caused the De Lijn bus fire on the E40 in Ternat?
“When our team reached the scene, the fire had already taken over the bus,”
said Wouter Jeanfils, spokesperson for the fire zone. He stated that the fire is thought to have been started due to a technical flaw. Authorities had contacted another tanker truck for sufficient water to fight the fire.
Nevertheless, the bus had been destroyed before they arrived. A tow truck later removed the burnt vehicle from the highway. Authorities continue to investigate the incident as part of regular safety checks on public transport vehicles.
“The driver clearly acted correctly. It could have been much worse. Fortunately, there were no passengers on board at the time,”
Jeanfils concludes.
There have been similar incidents with De Lijn buses in Belgium. A bus on Gaverstraat in Overboelare, Geraardsbergen, caught fire in December 2024, and the cause was undetermined, with no injuries reported. The fire was quickly extinguished by firefighters. Earlier than that, in October 2023, a large fire affected a depot of a De Lijn contractor in Tienen, Flemish Brabant. This fire destroyed 24 buses and 700 panels of solar panels located on the roof.
