Passengers Escape From Blazing Bus On GC-1 In Gran Canaria

Passengers had a fright this Thursday, August 3, when their bus burst into flames on the GC-1 motorway in the Canary Islands.

The incident occurred while the vehicle was travelling in the direction of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, near the town of San Bartolomé de Tirajana on the island of Gran Canaria.

Fortunately, all the occupants of the vehicle were able to get out in time and escaped any danger from the flames. Emergency teams were immediately deployed to the location where fire crews worked tirelessly to extinguish the blaze and prevent it from spreading to nearby vehicles.

Motorists in the area were urged by the authorities to slow down and keep their distance due to the ongoing work by the emergency services working in the area, according to grancanariatv.com.

A tweet from Canarias radio, accompanied by a video of the incident, read: ‘A bus burns on the GC-1, near El Salobre, Mogán, towards Las Palmas de #GranCanaria . All occupants are out of the vehicle. Drivers are asked to exercise extreme caution as emergency services are working in the area’.

🔴 Arde una guagua en la GC-1, a la altura de El Salobre, Mogán, dirección Las Palmas de #GranCanaria. Todos los ocupantes se encuentran fuera del vehículo.

⚠️ Se pide a los conductores extremar la precaución ya que los servicios de emergencia están trabajando en la zona. pic.twitter.com/ACzjN0Yt8d

— Canarias Radio (@laautonomica) August 3, 2023

There is no indication yet to the cause of the fire

No details have been provided about the causes of the fire yet but pertinent investigations are underway to determine the origin of the incident. It is believed that there were 53 passengers on board at the time of the incident.

The rapid and efficient response of the emergency services was crucial to guaranteeing the safety of the passengers and in avoiding the possibility of more serious consequences and they were subsequently congratulated for their efficient work.

Firefighters took around 40 minutes to fully extinguish the flames using specialist foam for such fires, with the remains then doused with water to prevent a further reignition with the high temperatures being experienced on the island. Once the burnt-out wreckage of the bus was removed, the GC-1 motorway was opened again to free-flowing traffic.