The single-decker Arriva bus, which was out of service and had no passengers, burst into flames around 7.53pm on Short Street.
Firefighters closed off part of road and extinguished the blaze, recorded as accidental, by 8.36pm.
Explosion – The bus bursts into flames (Image: Carly Bristow) Husk – The extinguished bus (Image: Vince Goodwin) Extinguished – Firefighters examining the extinguished bus (Image: Vince Goodwin) Southend resident Carly Bristow saw the smoke while walking home.
She said: “I could see the smoke from Travis Perkins.
“The air was thick with smoke and the fire smelled fishy in the air from the corner of Maldon Road and Milton Street.
“A man from the corner shop on Milton Street was putting his shutters down and asked if I knew what the fire was.
“The bus started popping before there was a loud bang and explosion which made us jump, flames were then visible underneath the back end of the bus.
“A fireman started walking towards some people who I think were part of the team so I thought they were going to move us on, I heard the fireman say the bus driver was safe.
“A few seconds later there was another explosion which I caught and I saw flames coming from the roof of the bus, followed by billowing clouds of black smoke and more flames which burst through the windows.
“It wasn’t as loud as the first explosion but the flames were more intense.”
Smoke – Smoke pouring out of the bus (Image: Carly Bristow) Smoke – Smoke envelopes the bus (Image: Carly Bristow) Flooding the street – Firefighters on Short Street (Image: Vince Goodwin)
An Essex Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “Firefighters were called to Short Street, Southend, at 7.53pm last night after reports of a bus fire.
“On arrival firefighters confirmed a single decker bus was completely alright and worked to extinguish it by 8.36pm.
“The cause has been recorded as accidental.”
A spokesperson for Arriva South said: “The bus was not in service so no passengers were on board. An investigation is ongoing.”