E-rickshaw catches fire near Buckingham Palace, cops say incident not treated as suspicious

London

An electric rickshaw caught fire near Buckingham Palace on Saturday (Mar 30), British media reported. Videos circulating on social media showed firefighters putting out flames as onlookers described hearing an explosion at the palace's gate. A report by PA Media said that the fire was reported at 12.44 pm local time. No one was injured, and the vehicle was destroyed.

Thirty-five-year-old Greg Double, who was walking with his daughter to the playground in St James' Park, saw the fire and posted a video of the burnt rickshaw on the social media platform X.

Here's a look at the video:

Speaking to PA Media, Double said that when he and his daughter got to the corner of Buckingham Gate, there was a fire on the pavement. Double added that the fire got to about four feet high, and was making popping sounds.

Also read | Man arrested after car crashes into gates of Buckingham Palace

"Fire and police were already on the scene and it was put out with minimal fuss. Given the location, a few people were speculating about it being terrorism or some form of protest, but it just looked like a bike on fire to me," he further said.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious, according to the Metropolitan Police. 

This incident comes weeks after the police arrested a man after a car crashed into the gates of Buckingham Palace. The incident occurred in the early hours of March 9. The man was taken to a hospital, and the police said enquiries were ongoing to establish the circumstances.

(With inputs from agencies)