Video Shows Middletown North School Bus On Fire

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A Middletown High School North school bus caught fire Thursday morning; the students and driver were able to flee the bus before it became fully engulfed in flames. However, a Middletown volunteer firefighter, a deputy chief, in fact, did have to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Middletown EMTs who responded to the scene provided this dramatic video to Patch, and it shows the school bus fully engulfed in flames while parked outside Middletown North. The fire grew so big that students inside the high school were even briefly evacuated to the rear of the building as a precaution, said Middletown North superintendent Dr. Bill George.

The bus caught fire at 7:08 a.m. after it arrived at Middletown North Thursday morning, said Dr, George and Middletown police. The students were evacuated from the bus when it first started smoking. The smoke progressed to a full-on fire and Middletown police, fire and EMS were called to the scene.

The video shows the scene from Thursday morning:

The fire appears to have been caused by a mechanical issue in the bus, said Dr. George. The driver, who has approximately 10 years of experience driving for that bus company, said he was experiencing mechanical problems during the route. Upon completion of the route at the high school, the bus began to smoke and then caught fire. The fire started in the engine.

The bus is operated by R. Helfrich & Son based in Hazlet.

Students in the school at the time of the incident were evacuated to the rear of the building for a short period of time while the fire was extinguished.

The Fire Marshall cleared students and staff to return to the building. The building air quality was tested by a registered environmental health specialist and deemed safe for occupancy, said Dr. George.

The bus was completely destroyed by the fire.

Belford Engine Fire Company, Belford Independent Fire Company, Special Services Unit, and the Fire Marshall’s Office all responded. During the fire operations, Deputy Fire Chief Russell Mount sustained minor smoke inhalation. Deputy Chief Mount was treated by Middletown Twp. EMS and transported to Riverview Medical Center.