Fire Marshal: Bethel School Bus Blaze Started Accidentally

BETHEL, CT — The Bethel Fire Marshal's Office has determined that a fire that broke out at a school bus parking lot earlier this month was accidental.

The Fire Marshal, working alongside the Bethel Police Department and an insurance investigator, has determined that the school bus fire which occurred in the lot at 27 Henry St:

The cause of the school bus fire that occurred around 2:12 a.m. on Jan. 12 at 27 Henry Street was investigated by the Bethel Fire Marshal’s Office, Bethel Police Department and an insurance investigator, according to Fire Marshal Thomas Galliford.

The fire has been determined to be an unintentional fire.

"The exact ignition scenario has not been determined at this time but any intentional fire cause has been ruled out. It has been labeled as an accidental fire most likely caused by an electrical failure in the area of the engine compartment," Galliford said on Friday.

Due to high winds and close proximity to other buses, two additional buses were burned and damaged from the initial fire.

First responders from Bethel Fire & EMS found a school bus and mini-bus "fully involved," and a second school bus catching fire. The fire was approximately 30 feet from a fuel source, as well as 50 feet from a building, according to Bethel officials.

The situation could have been much worse, according to Stony Hill officials, if it were not for a Bethel police officer who smelled smoke in the Greenwood Ave area.

"The actions of the Bethel PD officer quickly finding the source of the smoke and the fire departments efforts resulted in keeping the fire from spreading beyond the three buses, preventing a tremendous property loss," Galliford said.