Flames raged against the early morning skyline as Easter Sunday dawned with the spectacular torching of seven buses at the Somerset bus depot.

Neighbours were turned out of their beds and advised to evacuate as Police and firefighters arrived just after 5.15 a.m. yesterday. Three fire engines and some ten firefighters battled the blaze while several Police officers, off-duty bus drivers and neighbours leapt to action and drove ten buses to safety.

An estimated crowd of 200 people gathered - many still in their pajamas - to watch the unfolding drama. Police reported that a security guard was on-duty at the bus depot at the time, and has been interviewed by Police.

Though Police would not officially confirm it last night, sources close to the investigation said the fire was caused by arson.

Olympic sailor Peter Bromby, who lives on East Shore Road, was one of the first on the scene.

Mr. Bromby told The Royal Gazette that he heard a loud bang around 5.15 a.m. - and, looking out his window, saw clouds of smoke and an orange glow. Other witnesses reported loud “cracks” and “pops” to Police. As the bangs were repeated Mr. Bromby, fearing for the safety of friends who lived near where the blaze appeared to be, followed the smoke to the bus depot.

“There were already about 15 people there,” he said. “The fire was just spreading from one bus to the other - one would heat up and the fuel tank in the next one would explode, and so on.

“Our concern was that the fire was going to go through the whole lot.”

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said neighbour Jerome Robinson, a Marine and Ports pilot, quickly amassed several off-duty bus drivers living in the area. The bus drivers gave neighbours including Mr. Bromby a hurried tutorial, and the group rushed 10 buses to safety, parking some in the Country Squire parking lot and others further down along the nearby Railway Trail.

“People were fairly calm, they were just trying to do the right thing and move the buses out of harm's way,” Mr. Bromby said. “Once they got set up they got it under control pretty fast.”

Nobody was injured in the blaze, though Mr. Bromby said a house directly to the south of the line of buses appeared to be a top priority - especially with light winds coming out of the north.

“Someone was on top of the house with a hose, wetting it down and trying to prevent it from heating up,” he said.

Despite the estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage - possibly more - Ministry of Transport spokeswoman Nea Talbot said there would be no interruption of bus service in the immediate future. With the matter under further investigation, she said it was too early for the Ministry to make any further statements yesterday afternoon.

The Royal Gazette was unable to contact Transport Minister Ewart Brown yesterday.

“It's amazing how gutted the buses were,” Mr. Bromby said. “You wouldn't think there was that much to burn on a bus.

“If it is arson, it just seemed like such a senseless crime. Why would somebody do that?”

At a Press conference yesterday afternoon Police Commissioner Jonathan Smith said investigators were already reporting some progress as they interviewed neighbours. He appealed to all witnesses or anyone with any other information to call Insp. Tracy Adams on 295-0011.