Parts of Stansted Airport have been evacuated after a bus fire outside the building.</s>Passengers were stunned to see thick plumes of smoke just yards away from the terminal this afternoon.

It has since emerged a car park shuttle bus burst into flames in the terminal forecourt.

Stansted airport tweeted: "Due to a fire on the car park shuttle bus, terminal forecourt and surrounded area including parts of the terminal building are being evacuated due to smoke.

"We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will provide an update shortly."</s>Stansted airport tweeted: "Due to a fire on the car park shuttle bus, terminal forecourt and surrounded area including parts of the terminal building are being evacuated due to smoke. "We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will provide an update shortly."

It is thought that officials are not letting anybody out of the the main terminal. Concerned passengers have been posting on Twitter asking what is happening with one tweeting a picture of the termial in lock down.

There are no reports of any injuries but hundreds of travellers were evacuated from the main arrival and departures terminal as smoke billowed into the building. The airport authorities have now declared that the fire has been put out and they were working on returning Stansted to normal operations. Stansted has also Tweeted: "We advise all passengers due to depart this evening to contact their airline directly for the up-to-date flight information."</s>A fire broke out on a car park shuttle bus at London Stansted Airport today, sending plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the air.

Dramatic footage shows fierce flames and smoke rapidly rising from outside the entrance of the main terminal at the Essex-based airport.

Passengers in parts of the terminal building were evacuated due to the smoke, while others were reportedly told to remain where they were.

Fitness trainer Julia Buckley posted a video from inside the airport on Twitter, writing: "It's getting packed in here! They're not letting anyone leave."

Airport officials are investigating the blaze - which has been put out - "as a matter of urgency".

Taking to social media this afternoon, some witnesses described how the bus apparently set ablaze near the terminal's car park - with one claiming she saw a "fireball".

It is unclear whether anyone was on the shuttle bus at the time.

Twitter user Rachel Ann Alger shared footage of smoke streaming into the air on the site, writing: "Something's happened at stansted airport, looks like a bus, fireball!"

A second user posted: "Stuck before border control because there's a fire at Stansted airport, can see a fair bit of smoke but seen a video just now with a whole coach on fire."

And a third wrote: "Fire near Stansted airport?!? I'm in the carpark and just see smoke.

"Anyone know what's going on? stansted fire."

Other users described how police officers were diverting traffic away from the area.

Firefighters remain at the scene of the blaze, just outside the terminal's entrance. Shortly after 5pm, it was confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.

In a statement on its website, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters are currently at the scene of an incident at Stansted Airport.

"Crews reported on arrival that a bus, positioned outside the terminal entrance, was well alight.

"Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire by 5.02pm and remain at the scene to ensure the area is safe."

Stansted Airport confirmed via Twitter that the terminal forecourt and parts of the terminal building had been evacuated because of the blaze.

It posted earlier: "Due to a fire on the car park shuttle bus, terminal forecourt and surrounded area including parts of the terminal building are being evacuated due to smoke.

"We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will provide an update shortly."

In a second statement, also released on the social network, it added: "The fire has since been put out and we’re working on returning to normal operations."

" While we’re working on returning to normal operations, we advise all passengers due to depart this evening to contact their airline directly for the up-to-date flight information.

"Thank you for your cooperation."

One photo, captured at the scene after the blaze was extinguished, shows the badly burned bus sitting outside the terminal's entrance.

The vehicle appears to have a blackened exterior and large areas of damage.

The cause of the fire is currently unclear.</s>Parts of the Stansted Airport terminal building were evacuated earlier on Friday due to smoke after a fire on a car park shuttle bus broke out on the terminal forecourt. No injuries were reported.

At about 7.30pm the airport announced all departing flights had been cancelled, updating this at 9pm to say all departures until midnight had been cancelled.

Ryanair flights from Dublin due to arrive at the airport at 6.55pm, 8.20pm and 9.55pm were all cancelled.

Ryanair flights due in Dublin from the airport, scheduled to arrive at 6.30pm, 7.55pm and 9.30pm, were cancelled also.

The airport said: “All departing flights have now been cancelled and passengers are politely asked to leave the airport. We apologise for the inconvenience and advise you to re-book your flight with the airline.”

The evacuation meant all passengers had to be rescreened through security, the airport said in a tweet. The fire was extinguished in the early evening.

“Following a shuttle bus fire on the terminal forecourt, the Express Set Down remains closed,” the airport said earlier. “Due to the earlier evacuation of the terminal, all passengers are now in the process of being rescreened through security.

“Our teams are working hard to rescreen all passengers due to depart this evening. Thank you for you patience and co-operation while we’re returning our operations to normal.”

The airport said there had been no injuries reported after the fire, which it said was caused by an engine electrical fault on the bus.

The airport advised intending passengers to check with their airlines in advance.</s>A fire broke out on a car park shuttle bus at London Stansted Airport today, sending plumes of thick black smoke billowing into the air.

Dramatic footage shows fierce flames and smoke rapidly rising from outside the entrance of the main terminal at the Essex-based airport.

Passengers in parts of the terminal building were evacuated due to the smoke, while others were reportedly told to remain where they were.

Fitness trainer Julia Buckley posted a video from inside the airport on Twitter, writing: "It's getting packed in here! They're not letting anyone leave."

Airport officials are investigating the blaze - which is now out - "as a matter of urgency".

Taking to social media this afternoon, some witnesses described how the bus apparently set ablaze near the terminal's car park - with one claiming she saw a "fireball".

Twitter user Rachel Ann Alger shared footage of smoke streaming into the air on the site, writing: "Something's happened at stansted airport, looks like a bus, fireball!"

A second user posted: "Stuck before border control because there's a fire at Stansted airport, can see a fair bit of smoke but seen a video just now with a whole coach on fire."

And a third wrote: "Fire near Stansted airport?!? I'm in the carpark and just see smoke.

"Anyone know what's going on? stansted fire."

Other users described how police officers were diverting traffic away from the area.

Firefighters remain at the scene of the blaze, just outside the terminal's entrance. Shortly after 5pm, it was confirmed that the fire had been extinguished.

In a statement, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters are currently at the scene of an incident at Stansted Airport.

"Crews reported on arrival that a bus, positioned outside the terminal entrance, was well alight.

"Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire by 5.02pm and remain at the scene to ensure the area is safe."

Stansted Airport confirmed that the terminal forecourt and parts of the terminal building had been evacuated because of a fire on a car park shuttle bus.

It said in an earlier statement: "Due to a fire on the car park shuttle bus, terminal forecourt and surrounded area including parts of the terminal building are being evacuated due to smoke.

"We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will provide an update shortly."

In a later statement, it added: "The fire has since been put out and we’re working on returning to normal operations. More updates to follow."

The cause of the blaze is currently unclear.</s>Plane passengers are facing Easter travel chaos after a fire broke out on a shuttle bus at London Stansted Airport - causing ALL departing flights to be cancelled.

The airport has cancelled outgoing flights until midnight and asked passengers to leave the building after the vehicle dramatically went up in flames this afternoon.

Disappointed holidaymakers were pictured walking down the road, dragging their suitcases behind them, after being told their flights would not be taking off.

Earlier, shocking footage showed thick plumes of black smoke rising from outside the entrance of the main terminal after the car park shuttle bus caught fire.

The blaze is believed to have been caused by an engine electrical fault on the vehicle.

The bus, which was well alight when firefighters arrived at the scene, has been "completely destroyed", while "much of the front of the terminal building" has suffered smoke damage.

The fire was completely extinguished by 5.02pm, and no injuries have been reported.

While passengers in parts of the terminal building were evacuated due to smoke during the incident, others were reportedly told to remain where they were.

Taylor Fulton-Ward, 18, from Hertfordshire, who was flying to Dublin, Ireland, with her family for the Easter weekend, claimed people were "pushing and panicking" after certain doors were not open to allow people to leave.

She claimed: "We arrived at the airport and after a lot of waiting we got through security and staff told us all flights were running but delayed.

"After an hour, our flight disappeared from the board with no communication. We went back through to check in to try and re-book the flight but the crowds were crazy.

"Announcements were telling us to leave the building, but the doors were not open - so people began pushing and panicking. The biggest problem was not being able to get out the doors and a lack of communication."

Fitness trainer Julia Buckley posted a video from inside the airport on Twitter, writing: "It's getting packed in here! They're not letting anyone leave."

An airport spokesman said some exits were cordoned off to protect passengers from the burning bus, which was very close to some of the doors.

But he said staff were doing all they could to guide passengers to alternative exits.

Some passengers were given the option of having their luggage mailed to their home address if they needed to leave the Essex-based airport quickly.

A statement on the airport's official Twitter page read this evening: "All departing flights until midnight have now been cancelled and passengers are politely asked to leave the Airport.

"We apologise for the inconvenience and advise you to re-book your flight with the airline."

Taking to social media earlier, some witnesses had described how the bus apparently set ablaze near the terminal's car park - with one claiming she saw a "fireball".

Twitter user Rachel Ann Alger shared footage of smoke streaming into the air on the site, writing: "Something's happened at stansted airport, looks like a bus, fireball!"

A second user posted: "Stuck before border control because there's a fire at Stansted airport, can see a fair bit of smoke but seen a video just now with a whole coach on fire."

And a third wrote: "Fire near Stansted airport?!? I'm in the carpark and just see smoke.

"Anyone know what's going on? stansted fire."

Other users described how police officers were diverting traffic away from the area.

In a statement on its website, Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "Firefighters were called to a fire at Stansted Airport this afternoon. Crews reported on arrival that a bus, positioned outside the terminal entrance, was well alight.

"Due to the volume of smoke, the terminal was partially evacuated while firefighters extinguished the fire. The fire was extinguished completely by 5.02pm.

"The bus has been completely destroyed, while much of the front of the terminal building has suffered smoke damage.

"We believe the fire was caused accidentally by an electrical fault on the bus."

Stansted Airport confirmed via Twitter that the terminal forecourt and parts of the terminal building had been evacuated because of the blaze.

It posted earlier: "Due to a fire on the car park shuttle bus, terminal forecourt and surrounded area including parts of the terminal building are being evacuated due to smoke.

"We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will provide an update shortly."

In a second statement, also released on the social network, it added: "The fire has since been put out and we’re working on returning to normal operations."

However, it later said all departing flights until midnight had been cancelled.</s>Parts of the airport had to be evacuated when the fire broke out just before 4.30pm. The airport tweeted: "Due to a fire on the car park shuttle bus, terminal forecourt and surrounded area including parts of the terminal building are being evacuated due to smoke. “We are investigating this as a matter of urgency and will provide an update shortly.”

The airport said just after 5.10pm that the fire had been put out. "We’re working on returning to normal operations," the airport said. A spokesman said: “Firefighters are currently at the scene of an incident at Stansted Airport. “Crews reported on arrival that a bus, positioned outside the terminal entrance, was well alight.

"Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire by 5.02pm and remain at the scene to ensure the area is safe." Video from shocked passengers posted online showed the smoke was clearly visible from inside. Other images showed the bus completely engulfed in flames. One passenger said the vehicle had turned into a “fireball”. Good Friday is one of the busiest days of the year for UK airports as travellers try to get away for the Easter holidays.</s>Parts of Stansted airport were evacuated after an “accidental” fire broke out on a car park shuttle bus.

The incident came as families and holidaymakers prepared to take advantage of the four-day Easter bank holiday weekend.



Images posted on social media showed a coach alight with thick grey smoke billowing from the vehicle, beside the terminal building in Essex.

The blaze was put out just after 5pm and firefighters continued to monitor the scene. The bus was completely destroyed and the terminal suffered smoke damage, Essex fire and rescue service said.

Staff at the airport, which is the UK’s fourth busiest, said the blaze was being investigated “as a matter of urgency”.

A statement from the fire service said: “Firefighters are currently at the scene of an incident at Stansted airport. Crews reported on arrival that a bus, positioned outside the terminal entrance, was well alight.

“Due to the volume of smoke, the terminal was partially evacuated while firefighters extinguished the fire.

“The fire was extinguished completely by 5.02pm. Firefighters are still at the scene using thermal imaging cameras to ensure there are no remaining hotspots in the area.

It later added: “We believe the fire was caused accidentally.”

The airport tweeted that it was rescreening passengers after the evacuation, and advised those flying out on Friday evening to contact their airline directly.

It said: “Following a shuttle bus fire on the terminal forecourt, the Express Set Down remains closed.

“Due to the earlier evacuation of the terminal, all passengers are now in the process of being rescreened through security. While we’re working on returning to normal operations, we advise all passengers due to depart this evening to contact their airline directly for the up-to-date flight information.”</s>Flights are expected to resume at Stansted Airport on Saturday after a fire on a passenger shuttle bus forced departures to be cancelled.

Passengers described panic and confusion as the bus burst into flames on Friday afternoon, belching thick black smoke that clouded much of the front of the terminal building.

The airport cancelled all departing flights on Friday until midnight, but services were set to resume as normal on Saturday.

"Following the earlier incident involving a shuttle bus fire on the terminal forecourt, we confirm that the airport will be open tomorrow and flights are expected to operate as normal," the airport tweeted.

"Passengers are advised to check the latest flight information with their airlines."

No injuries were reported to have occurred in the incident which began at around 4.20pm.
Stansted Airport in the United Kingdom is evacuated after a bus catches fire outside the main terminal.