Heritage buses destroyed in "appalling" fire
The fire tore through several buildings on a farm near Andover
Last updated 9th Dec 2023
Eight historic buses have been destroyed in a fire which tore through buildings near Andover.
The restored vehicles were being stored in a unit on a farm at Penton Mewsey.
They were owned by preservationists and members of the charity Friends of King Alfred Buses, which preserves buses used in Winchester between 1922 and 1973.
The charity said the fire was an "appalling disaster".
A 1950 Leyland Olympic bus was the only bus to remain even partly recognisable in the wreckage, the charity said.
A former Bournemouth based Hants & Dorset double decker, which survived a fire that destroyed Bournemouth bus station and depot in 1976, was also lost in Friday's blaze.
Friends of King Alfred Buses chairman James Freeman said: "The fire appears to have started elsewhere in another unit and was well alight by 1.30am.
"By the time I arrived on site there was little left but the walls and roof structure.
"The intensity of the fire was such that people living several miles away were woken by exploding fuel tanks.
"Whilst it is fortunate that no-one was hurt, we now must come to terms with the loss of so many valuable, irreplaceable buses and coaches.
"We send our heartfelt sympathies to the owners who have lost their prized vehicles."
Firefighters from across Hampshire and Wiltshire were involved in tackling the flames.
The fire was extinguished shortly before midday on Friday.