Sheriff's Bus Catches Fire, Prompts SR-60 Backup In Badlands

BEAUMONT, CA — Traffic between Beaumont and Moreno Valley was at a near standstill on Wednesday afternoon after a bus belonging to the Riverside County Sheriff's Department caught fire and broke down on State Route 60, the CHP reports. The incident occurred on the eastbound side of the highway, near Jack Rabbit Trail, around 11:30 a.m.

Preliminary California Highway Patrol reports indicate the transport bus caught fire and it stopped in the slow lane, blocking traffic.

Traffic reports showed vehicles were backed up all the way from Beaumont into Moreno Valley as a result of the fire for about an hour.

Sheriff's officials tell Patch a few dozen inmates were on the bus when the engine caught fire, but they were quickly loaded onto another bus at the scene. No injuries were reported.

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Image via Caltrans