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Underside of school bus aflame. No kids aboard, says fire captain (3 photos)

The school bus apparently drove over a small fire, setting its mudflap and undercoating on fire near the area of the gas tank

No children were present when the underside of a school bus was lit aflame after it drove over a small fire this afternoon, says a captain with the Sault Ste. Marie Fire Services.

The driver of the school bus was parked in a gravelled area outside St. Kateri Outdoor Learning Centre’s gates before picking up the children who travelled from Blind River for the day, said Capt. Sean Lamorie.

The driver drove a short distance to the St. Kateri parking lot, when it was noticed there was a small fire behind the rear right wheel.

Although the small fire was extinguished prior to arrival of fire services, the cause was unknown until firefighters began piecing together what they think may have happened.

Backtracking the path of the bus, a smouldering fire was found in the gravelled area outside the gate where the bus was originally parked, with the burned remnants of the right rear mud flap among the ashes.

”(The driver) turned around, backed over (the fire) and caught the mud flap on fire,” suggested Lamorie.

“The mud flap burned down and then caught some of the undercoating (on fire). Obviously it got hot enough to melt the paint,” said Lamorie.

The fire was on the underside of the bus, behind the rear right wheel and in the area of the gas tank, said Lamorie.

“They had it extinguished before we got here, we just had to figure out what it was,” he said.

Although he believed the damage to the bus was mostly cosmetic, Lamorie recommended a new bus be brought in to transport the children back to Blind River.

“I don’t want to take that chance,” said Lamorie.


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Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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