Honestly, it was a scary sight early Thursday morning in Philadelphia. A huge fire tore through SEPTA’s Midvale bus depot in the Tioga-Nicetown neighborhood. Around 20 to 25 old, unused buses caught fire. Thick smoke was everywhere, and people nearby definitely noticed it.
The good news? No one got hurt. But still, watching so many buses go up in flames wasn’t something you see every day. It left a lot of folks wondering what even caused it.
What Went Down at the Depot
The fire started around 6 a.m., and it didn’t take long before it turned into a big deal. It broke out in the part of the depot where old or retired buses were kept. According to the fire department, many of those buses were either being stored or had already been taken out of use.
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Some of the buses were electric.
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A few were still powered by diesel or gas.
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Most of them had been sitting unused for a while.
One bus might’ve started the fire, and it spread from there. But honestly, no one’s 100% sure yet. Investigators are still digging into the cause.
At least 20 SEPTA buses on fire in the Tioga-Nicetown section of #Philadelphia. This looks like a total mess! #BreakingNews #philly #Fire #Septa pic.twitter.com/PuxZj7jHu4
— AC (@ACinPhilly) June 5, 2025
Fire Crews React Fast, Thankfully No One Hurt
It didn’t take long for fire trucks to roll in. Crews fought hard to stop the flames from spreading to the buildings nearby. And they did a solid job — no active SEPTA buses were damaged, and the buildings didn’t get touched either.
And yeah, in case you're wondering — the regular SEPTA bus service didn’t stop. Everything stayed on schedule, which is kind of surprising considering how big that fire looked.
What Happens Next?
So now, SEPTA and fire officials are trying to figure out how the whole thing started. It's not every day a couple dozen buses just burn down. People are also asking if it had anything to do with the electric buses since some of them were parked there too.
SEPTA’s probably going to:
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Look into how and where they store old buses
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Recheck their safety systems for electric and gas-powered buses
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Update their fire safety protocols
This whole thing might push them to change how they manage old vehicles in the future.
