A bus caught fire near the Vatican in
Rome on Friday, the latest in a string of such incidents in the
Italian capital.
The bus went up in smoke in Piazza Pio Xi, a stone's throw
from the Vatican, sparking curiosity among passersby and
tourists.
A month ago Rome prosecutors said they were probing recent
bus fires in the Italian capital for suspected lack of
maintenance.
On May 8 one bus burst into a ball of fire in the central
Via del Tritone between the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish
Steps, and another went up in smoke in the outlying Castel
Poziano district.
On May 7 there were two small fires on two vehicles, one
in the central Piazza Venezia where Mussolini used to make his
speeches. They were quickly put out.
There have now been 12 fires on Rome buses this year and
there were 22 last year. No one has been hurt.
City transport company ATAC and Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi
have come under fire.
The most recent fires in Via Del Tritone and via di Castel
Porziano got huge international coverage.
Why Do Rome's Buses Keep Catching? asked the BBC, which said
Romans "wearily noted" that ATAC and not ISIS was to blame, and
reported the social media hashtag #flambus which is based on
ATAC's former name Trambus.
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