Video from Bradford shared as electric bus on fire in London

What is the claim?

A video circulating on social media falsely claims to show an electric bus on fire in the clean air zone in London. One user shared the video on Facebook with the caption, “look at the electric bus on fire in London; smack in the center of the ‘clean air zone.’.”(sic) An archived version of the viral post can be seen here.

The viral posts on Facebook. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the vehicle involved was not electric, and the video was captured in Bradford when a bus caught fire in a suspected case of arson on October 9, 2023.

What did we find?

A reverse image search using keyframes from the video showed that the incident actually happened in Bradford, not in London. A BBC report dated October 9, 2023, carried a video similar to the first clip. While we could not find a source for the second clip in the viral video, we compared the two clips and identified similarities, confirming that they show the same incident. A pole is visible nearing the burning bus in both clips.

Comparison between the first clip and the second clip of the viral video. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

The BBC report dated October 9 carried footage of the same incident captured from a different angle. The visuals here are comparable to the first clip in the viral video, showing the burning bus from the front angle. Both visuals show a sand-color building on the right side of the bus, a bus stop, and a pole with designs on the right side.

Comparison between the viral video and the video in the BBC report. (Source: Facebook/BBC/Modified by Logically Facts) 

According to the report, a fire broke out in a double-decker bus in the city center area of Bradford, Yorkshire, on October 9. Reportedly, the bus operator First Bus said that no passengers were aboard the bus when the fire broke out. 

According to another report by the BBC from November 27, West Yorkshire Police said that a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage in connection with the incident but was later released on conditional bail. This report also carried a screenshot showing a scene similar to the first clip of the viral video. 

Another news report on this incident published by the Bradford-based daily newspaper Telegraph & Argus included images of the incident, including shots of when it was on fire and after the fire was extinguished. Several of these are similar to the visuals of the viral video. 

Geolocating the incident

We also located the place seen in the clips using Google Street View and confirmed that the incident happened at 20 Broadway, Bradford, in Yorkshire. We compared the visuals to confirm that it is the same place. Since the images on Google Maps were captured in April 2019, a few differences can be seen in the videos, including the color of a shop’s signboard and the plants in the big pots. However, TheLight cinema, the glass building above, the protruding structure above another shop, and the plant pots can be compared.

Comparison between the viral video and the Google Street View. (Source: Facebook/Google Maps/Modified by Logically Facts)

Logically Facts contacted First Bus for more details on the incident. Richard M Harrison, public relations manager of First Bus, said, “This was not an electric bus. The incident occurred on Broadway in Bradford and the police have since made an arrest.” 

As electric vehicles become more common, a popular narrative on social media claims that electric cars easily catch fire and can be harmful to the public. While there have been a few instances where electric cars caught fire, several unrelated videos and images are shared on social media to support such claims. Logically Facts has debunked such claims on several occasions. 20 Broadway, the site of the incident, comes under the Bradford clean air zone.

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service told Reuters, “The Fire Investigation Unit believed it was a deliberate ignition, which the police are investigating.”

The verdict

A video of a burning bus in Bradford was shared with the false claim that the incident happened on an electric bus in London’s clean air zone. However, the bus was not electric, and a 15-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of arson but released on bail. Therefore, we have marked this claim as false.