A residential street was packed with dense smoke after a Stagecoach bus developed an engine fault in what the firm branded a "technical issue".
The double-decker, understood to be a 33 service, was travelling through Cowdenbeath when it malfunctioned shortly before 3.30pm on Wednesday. A video posted on social media by Fife Jammer Locations showed thick smoke billowing from the rear of the vehicle on Moss Side Road, at its junction with Smith Avenue, as locals looked on.
No injuries were reported during the incident. A number of people speculated that the diesel engine on board the bus had "run away" – a rare occurrence in diesel engines in which extra fuel is unwittingly fed into the engine while it is running, causing it to run above its normal operating limit.
One commenter said: "The engine is taking oil in through turbo inlet.. the engine won't switch off. Instead of running on diesel its running in engine oil, as the turbo spins faster the oil is sucked into engine faster.
"This is why it's called runaway, because the revs are running away. These buses are automatic so no way to stall it."
A local resident said the bus stopped outside her house, adding that the driver had been unable to turn off the engine, backing up the theory that the engine was out of control. Another added: "Will say the fire engine were there within 5 mins of us phoning them, everyone got off the bus safe but was very scary."
Stagecoach said earlier on Twitter that a "technical issue" had delayed the 33 service from Cowdenbeath to Kirkcaldy and back. A spokesperson for the firm later confirmed that the vehicle developed a fault but did not catch fire.
In a statement, Stagecoach said: "We can confirm that one of our vehicles was taken out of service in Cowdenbeath yesterday [Wednesday] afternoon due to a component failure. The nature of the fault caused significant exhaust emissions to be produced.
"Passengers were evacuated safely, and whilst the fire service attended as a precaution, they were satisfied that the area was safe and there was no risk of fire. This type of fault can occur at any time and is not something which can be predicted. The vehicle is now undergoing the necessary repairs and will be back on the road soon."
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 3.26pm on Wednesday, July 5 to reports of smoke coming from a bus at Smith Road, Cowdenbeath.
"Operations Control mobilised two fire appliances to the scene where a mechanical defect was affecting a bus. Crews ensured the area was safe before leaving the scene.”
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