RESIDENTS were given a scare when a bus burst into flames outside their homes in Chudleigh on Monday evening.

One elderly woman was evacuated as billowing smoke from the blazing single-decker Country Bus was in danger of seeping into nearby properties in New Exeter Street, not far from the war memorial, just after 6pm.

No passengers were on the 182 town service which may have been struck by lightning during a torrential downpour.

Two fire crews, from Bovey Tracey and Newton Abbot, dealt with the drama after receiving multiple 999 calls.

A fire spokesman said the cause might have been an electrical fault. The source of the blaze was the engine at the back of the bus.

The driver, who escaped unharmed, had been on his way back to the depot when the vehicle, worth thousands of pounds, started to overheat.He parked up for a while – but when he re-started the vehicle it caught alight.

A Country Bus spokesman said afterwards: ‘We don’t know what happened. It might have been hit by lightning. At the moment we have no idea what the cause was,’ she said on Tuesday.

She admitted the loss of a bus from the company’s fleet was unfortunate, but a replacement vehicle had been made available.

The vehicle was well alight by the time firefighters arrived at the scene. They took special measures to make sure the flames did not spread to properties just a few feet away.

A hosereel jet and small tools were used to knock out the blaze which destroyed the vehicle.

A fire spokesman said the incident was under control just over an hour after the alarm was raised.

Duty of care was left with the bus driver and a recovery team.