DARBY — A passerby noticed flames coming from a Darby school bus early on the morning of Wednesday, January 24.
The Darby School District houses eight buses in a bus barn behind the high school and they are lined up very close to one another.
The Darby Volunteer Fire Department swiftly arrived on scene making sure the fire did not spread to other buses or the overhead structure.
“The caller called in at 4:37 a.m., the fire department was en route at 4:40 a.m., and they were on scene at 4:43 a.m.," Assistant Chief for Darby Fire Jeff Snavely told MTN News. "The rear of the bus had visible flames. We cleared the scene at 6:25.”
Darby school officials are extremely grateful for the person who noticed the blaze and the local fire team's prompt response keeping a bad situation from getting worse.
"Grateful for the community member that drove by early morning 4:30 a.m. saw smoke coming from the bus. You know, that's why if you see something call it in. See something, do something about it. I think the fire department was on scene within eight minutes after getting the call from 911. So, just impressed." Darby School District Superintendent Tony Biesiot shared.
"I think we just respect each other we understand how important the volunteer fire department and the law enforcement is to the community and just how they understand how important the educational system is to the Darby School District as well," Biesiot added.
Snavely says the cause of the fire is believed to have been electrical since the buses are plugged in overnight.
However, the origin of the flames and how they sparked is still being investigated.
The Darby School District will use the remaining seven buses to run their four bus routes.
