A bus driver's fast action avoided a possible tragedy Thursday when a bus carrying about 15 students caught fire and burned on the Georgia Southern campus in Statesboro, a school spokesman said.
The driver of the campus bus, carrying a "light load" of students, noticed the odor of something burning around noon, said spokesman Christian Flathman. The driver pulled to a safe area, evacuated the bus and then noticed a flame coming from one of the headlights, Flathman said.
The fire continued to grow until it reached a fuel cell on the natural gas vehicle and the bus became engulfed in flames, he told the AJC. The bus was destroyed, but no one was injured. The incident happened at Akins Boulevard and Forest Drive in front of the education building.
"The university commends the quick actions of the driver," Flathman said. He said Georgia Southern has used buses powered by natural gas since 2007 and this is the first incident involving one of them.
"We are confident our buses are safe. This is an extremely isolated incident," he said.
Flathman did not know the name of the bus driver but said she is employed by First Transit, which contracts with the university to operate the buses.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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