A plume of thick black smoke is visible as firefighters contain a fire in a SEPTA bus yard in the Nicetown–Tioga section of Philadelphia. (Credit: 6abc Action News)
Firefighters contained a fire that broke out in a SEPTA bus yard in the Nicetown–Tioga section of Philadelphia on Thursday morning.
The fire was reported at around 6:15 a.m. in the SEPTA Midvale District, next to the Roberts Yard.It was upgraded to a 3-alarm blaze at 7:30 a.m., requiring a larger response from the fire department.
According to the Philadelphia Fire Department, the fire was contained by around 8 a.m.
Police say the fire set up to two dozen decommissioned SEPTA buses ablaze, creating a thick black smoke stemming from the site, WHYY reported.
According to officials, several explosions heard during the fire were from the sounds of tires bursting due to extreme heat, Action News reported.
Asst. Fire Chief Charles Walker said during a news conference that firefighters encountered several challenges while putting out the fire, including a lack of water supply and limited access to the bus yard.
SEPTA workers were able to move buses that hadn’t caught fire, to give the fire department access to extinguish the flames.
The Midvale Depot is SEPTA’s largest facility, functioning as a storage and maintenance unit. The decommissioned buses in the lot include both electric-powered and gas buses, although police are unsure which were destroyed in the fire.
Andrew Busch, SEPTA’s director of communications, said the buses were “getting ready to go to the scrap heap,” and as of now, no in-service buses have been affected by the fire, CBS reported.
No injuries have been reported due to the fire. Streets closest to the blaze have been closed temporarily, creating some traffic.
The cause of the fire remains unknown. The investigation is ongoing.
