A BUS driver had a lucky escape after his bus turned into an inferno in Montrose on Saturday night.

Firefighters were called to the blaze at 5.55pm - right in front of the Montrose CFA station.

Incident controller Rob Waters said the bus driver, the only person on board the huge tourist bus at the time, was travelling towards Montrose when he put his foot down and realised the bus had lost power.

Mr Waters said the driver saw smoke coming from the back of the bus and got out and called 000.

"The bus was then engulfed with flames, which caused an additional hazard with powerlines coming down," Mr Waters said.

It took firefighters just under 20 minutes to bring the blaze under control.

The bus was completely destroyed.

The powerlines began sparking, and the power company was called to ensure their safety.

The Montrose brigade was helpd by MFB firefighters and members from the Badger Creek brigade.

Traffic was diverted around Mt Dandenong Rd while the fire was brought under control.

A CFA spokeswoman said the exact cause of the fire could not be determined but it had started in the engine.

by Kimberley Seedy