Four school buses were destroyed late Thursday evening in what is being considered a suspicious fire.

Firefighters received multiple reports of the blaze, in a commercial yard near Ruby Line and Heavy Tree Road, shortly before 10:00 p.m.. When crews arrived on the scene a few minutes later they found four school buses fully involved with fire.

Derek Hunt, Platoon Chief with the St. John’s Regional Fire Department, said firefighters were able to bring the fire under control in quick order, despite having no nearby hydrant service. A water supply had to be established from a hydrant over 100 metres away at the Ruby Line Pumping Station. Crews had to use a fire engine to boost water pressure halfway to the scene of the fire.

Firefighters used multiple hand lines and a master stream from an engine to combat the fire. A metal-clad shed that housed a piece of heavy equipment acted as a fire break, preventing the fire from spreading to a long line of additional school buses. Light winds also aided firefighters.

Employees of the business used a loader to pull two of the burning buses away from the others to allow firefighters to access several smouldering hot spots.

Crews spent well over an hour on the scene. In total, four buses were completely destroyed, with a fifth one sustaining fire and smoke damage. No one was injured during the ordeal. The cause of the fire is under investigation.