A fire that broke out at Slough bus station in the early hours of 29 October 2022 is being investigated by Thames Valley Police.
Six fire appliances from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) attended the blaze that spread across the entire roof of Slough bus station.
Aerial ladder platform deployed
Tim Readings, the Group Manager for RBFRS, confirmed that the fire was 20m by 40m in scale, “When they got there, it was a very well-developed fire, the bus was already well-alight and the flames were already into the roof of the bus station itself, it was a big fire,” he told Slough Observer.
Firefighters used an aerial ladder platform so that they could reach the roof of the station, with Readings explaining, “It was quite a challenging fire to fight, it’s fair to say, given the height of the canopy… The fire [that] spread across the roof was pretty extensive: it is heavily damaged, unfortunately,” he added.
Slough bus station
Images showing the extent to which the fire spread across the roof have led to questions
Slough bus station was initially built in 2011, as part of a £450 million project to regenerate the town. At the time, the station was given a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certification of ‘Very Good’, as it was constructed from 97% recyclable aluminum cladding and recycled plastic batons.
However, images showing the extent to which the fire spread across the roof have led to questions about the resilience of green-friendly materials during such incidents.
extensive damage
In addition to the damage to the roof, there has been extensive damage to the passenger waiting areas and vehicles that were parked at the station overnight. Readings added that the fire destroyed one bus and damaged three others.
The cause of the fire is currently unknown: “At the moment, it is too early to say, and it is likely to take us a little while to indicate how the fire started,” said Readings.
Surrounding roads were temporarily closed as investigators worked to determine the cause of the fire. Thames Valley Police have said, "We are keeping an open mind as to the cause and remain on scene at this time."