Passengers were forced to flee their train in panic after it burst into flames at a station in Kent. You can see some footage from the incident below:
In that video, you can see that passengers were clearly distressed and needed to get away from the train – which was stopped at West Malling station – as quickly as they possibly could.
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Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing from the carriages of the train, as well as flames licking out from beneath the carriage.
The shocking incident took place yesterday afternoon at around 4:00pm, and there was clearly some concern amongst passengers that the train might be about to explode.
In the end, the fire service turned up and it took several appliances to extinguish the blaze once the passengers had been evacuated safely.
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As a result of the incident, the line between Swanley and Ashford was closed, though it was later partially opened up once again.
A spokesperson for the Kent Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that they were called to the fire in a statement that read: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to West Malling train station, in Station Approach, West Malling, following reports of a fire underneath a train carriage.
“Five fire engines and a foam unit were sent to the scene, where crews used dry powder to extinguish a small fire.
“The train and surrounding area were evacuated as a precaution but no injuries were reported.”
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In the end, the fire response was stripped back to just two engines, and all crew were able to leave the area by the evening.
It is not yet clear what the cause of the fire was, though Kent Fire and Rescue have confirmed that they believe it to be accidental.
Southeastern train company issued an update at around 8:00pm that the scene had been cleared and Network Rail were inspecting the rails and line.
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At around 9:30pm they confirmed that all lines had reopened, but trains from Ashford were not stopping at Maidstone East as the train had been moved to there and was occupying platform two at the station.
A spokesperson for Southeastern said: “A fire occurred underneath the 15:25 London Victoria to Ashford International train yesterday evening.
"On becoming aware of the fire the driver took immediate action, safely stopping the train at West Malling station so passengers could be immediately evacuated.
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"Emergency services attended the scene and put the fire out. No injuries were reported but our team offered support to people involved, both customers and staff.
“The safety of our passengers and staff remains our top priority and a full investigation will be carried out.”
Tom Wood