in Belfort, seven hydrogen buses destroyed by flames

In the Belfort region, seven hydrogen buses from the Optymo network were destroyed in a fire that occurred this Thursday, January 2 in the morning.
The year 2025 is off to a bad start for the Belfort region. On Thursday January 2, around 2:20 a.m., a fire started in the Optymo bus depot in Danjoutin, destroying the territory’s fleet of hydrogen buses.
According to the daily L’Est Républicain, local residents heard explosions during the night, before seeing heavy smoke coming from the depot. As a precautionary measure, local residents were temporarily confined until the risks of air pollution were eliminated. The fire was brought under control at 8:30 a.m.

An ongoing investigation

Although the fire did not cause any injuries, six hydrogen buses operated by Grand Belfort were completely destroyed and a seventh very badly damaged. Located around a hundred meters away, the hydrogen station, operated by Hynamics, was not affected. An ongoing investigation will now have to determine the causes of the incident.
Property of the Joint Public Transport Union of the Territoire de Belfort, the seven hydrogen buses were supplied by Van Hool. They were put into service in the summer of 2023. A few months ago, the operator announced the acquisition of 8 other fuel cell buses, articulated models supplied by the Polish manufacturer Solaris.