EIGHT heritage buses have been destroyed in a devastating fire in a group of industrial units near Andover.

More than 10 emergency calls alerted Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service to the fire shortly after 2am on Friday, December 8, at the farm in Penton Mewsey.

One of the buses destroyed was Friends of King Alfred Buses's (FoKAB) groundbreaking 1950 Leyland Olympic JAA 708.

It was Hampshire’s first underfloor engine bus, rescued from Ireland and lovingly restored over many years before its relaunch in 2012. 

This was the only King Alfred bus that was in the building at the time. 

Andover Advertiser: Fire crews were called to a major blaze at a farm in Penton Mewsey

READ MORE: Penton Mewsey fire: Several crews tackle blaze on farm

The other seven buses belonged to FoKAB’s members and fellow preservationists. They included four Hants & Dorset buses and a luxury coach. A FoKAB member had been working on one of the buses for the past 15 years. 

James Freeman, chairman of FoKAB, said: “This is an appalling disaster and only underlines the importance of FoKAB’s never-ending quest to find a long-term safe home for its collection.

“The fire appears to have started elsewhere in another unit and was well alight by 1.30am. By the time I arrived on site there was little left but the walls and roof structure. The intensity of the fire was such that people living several miles away were woken by exploding fuel tanks and the like. Fire crews attended from all across Hampshire and from Wiltshire.

Andover Advertiser:

“Whilst it is fortunate that no-one was hurt, we now must come to terms with the loss of so many valuable, irreplaceable buses and coaches. We send our heartfelt sympathies to the owners who have lost their prized vehicles.”

A fire service spokesperson said: “Teams have been using jets, hose reels and compressed air foam solution to dowse the flames and extinguish the fire.

"The incident has now been scaled down with relief crews from Fareham, Whitchurch, Alton and Fordingbridge attending to take over from the firefighters who were first on the scene.”