The early morning blaze which destroyed an Arriva bendy bus this morning also caused considerable damage to some Maltapost vans.

The blaze engulfed the bus alongside the Maltapost offices in Marsa at 12.45 a.m. According to unconfirmed reports, the bus had acceleration problems and the driver parked the vehicle. It was then that the fire broke out and quickly spread to the whole vehicle.

A number of vans were parked in a row behind a low wall nearby.

Although the fire did not spread to the vans, the heat was so intense that the windscreens of four of the vans were shattered. The paintwork was also scorched.

Some of the vans were bought less than a year ago.

A Maltapost spokeswoman said an inquiry is being held by the company but preliminary estimates showed damage in excess of €30,000.

An eyewitness said that the flames were so high, that they touched overhead cables.