The fire alarm at the Optymo bus depot in Danjoutin went off at 2:20 a.m. during the night of Wednesday January 1st to Thursday January 2nd. According to initial information, the fire started at the front of a bus parked in the depot parking lot. The fire then spread to all seven hydrogen buses in the fleet of the Belfort Mixed Transport Union (SMTC), manager of the Optymo network in the Territoire de Belfort.
At the height of the intervention, 60 firefighters and 25 Sdis fire brigade vehicles were involved. The fire was extinguished at 8:30 a.m. However, surveillance has remained in place since 10:30 a.m., with a van and six men, in order to prevent any resumption of fire. There were no reports of any injuries or poisoning. The buildings were also not affected.
A preventive containment was put in place during the fire in the vicinity of the depot, but atmospheric analyzes made it possible to lift it around 6 a.m. Likewise, according to the prefecture, no water pollution was detected.
Explosions were heard several kilometers away. This is the explosion of bus wheels under the effect of heat. The safety systems for the hydrogen tanks worked: a sharp rise in temperature, such as that caused by a fire, causes them to automatically purge.
The loss for the company is around 7 million euros for this type of equipment (around one million euros per bus). A delivery of eight articulated buses (the buses destroyed by the fire were “simple” buses) is expected by the end of 2025, according to SMTC president Roland Jacquemin. SMTC will provide service with the rest of its fleet, namely buses running on gas or diesel.
Although a malicious act has not yet been completely ruled out, the surveillance cameras were unable to detect any intrusion. The investigation will have to determine the causes of the fire.
