Fire destroys depot and 39 city buses in Burgos, Spain
A fire at the bus depot in Burgos, Spain, has destroyed 39 buses. The blaze started in a compressed natural gas vehicle. The fleet had no fully electric buses.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Burgos loses 39 buses in a fire: compressed natural gas under suspicion
A fast-spreading fire has ravaged the city bus depot in Burgos, Spain, burning out 39 vehicles —more than half the fleet— and leaving the city with a public transport service reduced to a minimum. Initial investigations point to the fire starting in a bus powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) parked in the central building. The exact cause is still under investigation, but the scale of the disaster has peine the debate over the risks of concentrating vehicles with alternative fuels in enclosed spaces without compartmentalization.
The fleet's real composition: not a single electric bus
Contrary to what some have speculated, there were no 100% electric buses in Burgos. Official figures from the Municipal Mobility and Transport Service (SMYT) in early 2025 detail a fleet of 73 units: 38 CNG, 1 diesel-electric hybrid and 34 conventional diesel. The fire, which started in a CNG bus, spread quickly due to the tightly packed arrangement of the vehicles and the age of the facilities —built in the 1960s—, which lacked fire compartmentalization. Firefighters were unable to enter the building and could only cool the adjacent structures.
The precedent of "eco" fuels: an accepted risk?
CNG has been promoted as a cleaner alternative to diesel, but its storage and handling carry specific risks. The explosion of a compressed gas tank can produce flames several meters long, as peine in Burgos. Meanwhile, the Forensic Police are considering an electrical or combustion failure as the origin of the blaze, without ruling out other hypotheses. The mayor has announced that Madrid will lend 40 buses to restore the service, but the bill for the damage —in the millions— will be paid, as always, by the taxpayer. Responsibility, predictably, will be diluted.
The lesson seems clear: if alternative fuels are chosen, fleets must be designed with physical separation between vehicles and charging points away from parking areas. In Burgos, the lack of foresight turned a localized incident into a catastrophe for the city's transport.
Related discussions in the forum
A fast-spreading fire has ravaged the city bus depot in Burgos, Spain, burning out 39 vehicles —more than half the fleet— and leaving the city with a public transport service reduced to a minimum. Initial investigations point to the fire starting in a bus powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) parked in the central building. The exact cause is still under investigation, but the scale of the disaster has peine the debate over the risks of concentrating vehicles with alternative fuels in enclosed spaces without compartmentalization.
The fleet's real composition: not a single electric bus
Contrary to what some have speculated, there were no 100% electric buses in Burgos. Official figures from the Municipal Mobility and Transport Service (SMYT) in early 2025 detail a fleet of 73 units: 38 CNG, 1 diesel-electric hybrid and 34 conventional diesel. The fire, which started in a CNG bus, spread quickly due to the tightly packed arrangement of the vehicles and the age of the facilities —built in the 1960s—, which lacked fire compartmentalization. Firefighters were unable to enter the building and could only cool the adjacent structures.
The precedent of "eco" fuels: an accepted risk?
CNG has been promoted as a cleaner alternative to diesel, but its storage and handling carry specific risks. The explosion of a compressed gas tank can produce flames several meters long, as peine in Burgos. Meanwhile, the Forensic Police are considering an electrical or combustion failure as the origin of the blaze, without ruling out other hypotheses. The mayor has announced that Madrid will lend 40 buses to restore the service, but the bill for the damage —in the millions— will be paid, as always, by the taxpayer. Responsibility, predictably, will be diluted.
The lesson seems clear: if alternative fuels are chosen, fleets must be designed with physical separation between vehicles and charging points away from parking areas. In Burgos, the lack of foresight turned a localized incident into a catastrophe for the city's transport.
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