Overview
- A large blaze at a vehicle storage site on Muckingford Road in Linford destroyed about 36 double‑decker buses after it broke out shortly before 7pm on Friday, June 5.
- Firefighters, supported by Essex Police, utility crews and local residents, battled the fire for more than two hours and scaled back operations around 9pm once hotspots were controlled.
- Essex County Fire and Rescue’s probe found the fire was started deliberately and the service has urged anyone who saw suspicious activity to contact FireStoppers with anonymous tips.
- Essex Police have opened a formal arson investigation (incident 1206 of June 5), say no arrests have been made and are asking people to report information via 101, the force’s Live Chat or Crimestoppers.
- The loss of dozens of buses will have short‑term effects on local fleets and insurers and investigators will review CCTV, witness accounts and drone footage as they pursue multiple lines of enquiry.