Go North East bus catches fire in Whickham

A passer-by captured the moment a Go North East bus caught fire, sending plumes of smoke into the air.

The Green Arrow single-decker was on Oakfield Road in Whickham, near Gateshead, when the rear of the vehicle was engulfed in flames at about 14:30 GMT on Wednesday.

It is not known if anyone was injured or if there were passengers onboard at the time.

Two fire crews attended and extinguished the flames shortly after.

Jack Brown, who photographed the burning bus, told the BBC he had "absolutely no clue of the root cause" of the fire.

"Me and my mate got back in the car after going to the Co-op and noticed a lot of smoke coming out of the back," he said.

"Then, after about a minute, we noticed it had caught on fire. Firefighters got to the scene about four of five minutes later."

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service said two appliances from Gateshead and Swalwell Community Fire Stations attended the scene.

"The firefighters extinguished the fire and left the scene at 14:56," a spokesperson added.

Go North East has been approached for comment.

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