Hwy 17 Bus Fire Causes $250K In Damages

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA – A bus that caught fire on state Highway 17 in Campbell and forced passengers to evacuate Monday morning resulted in $250,000 in property damage, Santa Clara County fire officials said today.

The fire reported at about 7:40 a.m. started in the engine area near a wheel and extended to a nearby tree before crews extinguished the blaze about 30 minutes later, fire officials said.

The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District bus was heading north on Highway 17 south of Hamilton Avenue, where the driver saw flames coming from the vehicle's back exterior and quickly pulled to the side of the freeway, California Highway Patrol Officer Ross Lee said.

Passengers were able to safely evacuate without injuries before the fire grew and filled the bus with smoke, Lee said.

A second bus was called to pick up passengers who were on the highway's shoulder and help them continue their trip, Lee said.

The bus had departed from Santa Cruz for downtown San Jose, transit district spokesman Ciro Aguirre said.

The fire possibly started with an oil line that broke loose, but district officials are still looking into the incident, according to Aguirre.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

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--Bay City News/Images via Santa Clara County Fire