Major fire destroys Oshawa bus depot; 10 Durham Region bus routes cancelled

Ten Durham Region bus routes have been cancelled following a three-alarm fire that tore through an Oshawa bus depot early Wednesday morning.

Emergency crews were called to the industrial fire at a Durham Region Transit bus facility on Farewell Street, south of Highway 401, around 2:30 a.m.

It took firefighters around five hours to extinguish the blaze at the one-storey facility which sustained significant damage. No injuries have been reported.

Workers at the scene tell CityNews around two dozen transit buses have been damaged or destroyed, however, fire officials could not confirm how many buses were damaged in the fire.

Oshawa Fire Services Chief Stephen Barkwell said the roof of the building has completely collapsed and three bus bays have been damaged.

Durham Region Transit has cancelled a number of bus routes on Wednesday. A social media post from the operator says routes 103, 112, 211, 222, 291, 409, 411, 423, 502, and 920 are not running.

#DRTNews update 2: Service updates Effective August 16, 2023. The following routes are cancelled today:
• 103
• 112
• 211
• 222
• 291
• 409
• 411
• 423
• 502
• 920
Updates to follow.

— Durham Region Transit (@Durham_Transit) August 16, 2023

The operator says service may not be available at all stops in some areas and On Demand services have been modified in a number of areas.

A full list of service adjustments can be found here.

Workers in the area say they heard a loud boom before the fire broke out.

“The whole factory shook over here and we all ran out,” says a man who was working at a factory across the street. “The flames must have been as high as these trees.”

The Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office has been called in to investigate the cause and origin of the blaze. Oshawa fire says crews will likely be on scene for several days to monitor for any hotspots.