A tour bus carrying Massachusetts seventh and eighth graders caught fire in New Hampshire on Friday, but a swift evacuation saved all students from injury.
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At around 6:30 p.m., NH State Troopers responded to reports of a bus fire on I-93 northbound near mile marker 99 in Woodstock.
The 911 caller reported that a bus was actively on fire and the occupants were evacuating.
Local firefighters arrived and confirmed that the back of the bus was fully engulfed in flames.
Eventually, firefighters were able to extinguish the fire after additional personnel and resources arrived.
According to preliminary investigation, the bus was carrying approximately 60 middle school students and adult staff at the time of the fire.
The blaze began when the engine compartment started smoking South of Exit 32.
The driver pulled over, and the occupants evacuated as the bus filled with smoke.
Everyone safely escaped the bus, and only one adult was transported to a local hospital for treatment for smoke inhalation.
State Troopers walked with students and staff to a local Lincoln business where they waited for another bus to arrive.
All northbound lanes of I-93 were closed for an hour and a half while troopers conducted an investigation.
Police do not suspect criminal activity, but they did not reveal the cause of the fire.
I’m curious. Was it an electric bus? The article doesn’t specify.