Seven hydrogen buses were destroyed after a fire in a depot in Danjoutin (Territoire de Belfort), the prefecture announced on Thursday. Residents had to confine themselves.
The fire started around 2:20 a.m. in the night from Wednesday to Thursday, said the prefecture in a press release, which activated its departmental operational center. The fire was extinguished at 8:30 a.m., she said. No injuries were noted.
Atmospheric analyzes were carried out and their result, negative, could have led to the end of the confinement of local residents. The fire also had no consequences on the drinking water network and “no marker currently suggests that there could be a major impact on the environment”, according to state services in the department.
“Impressive”
Optymo buses, like the seven which were destroyed by the fire, allow you to travel in the Territoire de Belfort. They are the property of the Joint Public Transport Union of the Territoire de Belfort. Danjoutin is a small town of around 3,000 inhabitants on the outskirts of Belfort.
According to the regional daily L'Est Republican, which speaks of an “impressive” fire, local residents, including in a town located 8 km from the site, heard explosions during the night, then saw smoke emanating. The origin of the incident is currently unknown.
Belfort, which dreams of becoming the French capital of the hydrogen sector, launched its first hydrogen-powered electric buses in the summer of 2023 for its public transport, with the aim of equipping half of its fleet with them by 2025 The unit cost of a bus amounts to nearly 700,000 euros, compared to around 280,000 euros for a diesel bus. The hydrogen recharging station which adjoins the depot would not have been affected, according to L'Est republican.
