charter bus fire


Charter Bus Fire Ohio Turnpike Westbound - August 3, 2000



Firefighters were called to this charter bus fire in the Westbound lane of the Ohio Turnpike. Heavy smoke could be seen for miles.



Responding fire crews found that truckers on the highway had already closed off the righthand lane and had traffic slowly passing the bus on the left shoulder. Their quick actions made for a safer operation.



The bus was owned by two individuals who chartered the bus to eight passangers from Pennsylvania and were going to Windsor Canada on a gamgling junket. The driver had the rear brakes adjusted just before leaving on the trip and readjusted them again while on the road. Passangers stated that they smelled an odd odor and smoke began pouring into the bus. The driver pulled off onto the right shoulder and everyone quickly exited the bus.



The bus ended up being a total loss. The cause was determined to be overheated rear brakes which had been dragging since leaving on the trip. The bus had stopped 15 miles earlier at a service plaza for lunch. Since the bus was not moving, there was no air flow to cool the brakes, so the heat increased causing the brakes to drag even more. Fifteen miles later, the heat buildup was too much and the rear of the bus caught fire.



1996 GMC Bluebird bus Loss: $300,000 No injuries were suffered by passangers or firefighters