A minibus and two school buses parked adjacent to the Dumurjala stadium in Howrah were gutted on Sunday afternoon.

Police said they were not sure whether someone torched the buses or an electrical short-circuit caused the fire.

No one was injured because the buses were empty.

Eyewitnesses told the police that they saw a minibus go up in flames inside the parking lot around 4.30pm. Within a few minutes, leaping flames from the vehicle spread to two school buses parked nearby.

Some of the witnesses alerted the fire and emergency services department and two fire tenders reached the spot. It took over 45 minutes for the two to control the blaze.

“I was riding past the spot on my motorcycle when I spotted the flames. A few people were trying to douse the fire by pouring bucketfuls of water on it. I got off my bike and joined them,” said Ujjal Mondal, in his 30s. "Within a few minutes all three vehicles were gutted."

A number of buses, minibuses, school buses and other vehicles remain parked around the Dumurjala stadium. In Calcutta, buses and minibuses remain parked by the roadside.