Arson Team Investigating Latest Byram Hills Bus Fire

ARMONK, NY — Westchester County's arson team is investigating the fire Friday evening at the Byram Hills school district's bus yard that gutted five school buses. There was a school play going on at the time.

"Many of our children saw the fire in progress until they were brought back into the building or evacuated," Superintendent Jen Lamia said. "This is distressing for children to see."

It was the second bus fire this year, and the third damaging incident at the bus yard in the past three years.

She and the school board president sent out a second email over the weekend:

To The Byram Hills Community,

It is important that Scott Levy, Board President, and I update our community regarding the fire at the bus yard last night. This is the third incident at the bus yard in the last three years. The first incident was two years ago and involved broken windshields. It was never discovered by the police who caused that event.

You will remember that in early August, three of our large buses caught fire. The cause, based on the Westchester County Cause and Origin Team, was an electrical incident in one of the buses that spread to the other two buses.

Last night, one of our vans (small buses) also caught fire and spread to five other vans. We need to be forthright in acknowledging community concern and the steps the District, North Castle Police, and Westchester County Cause and Origin Team have taken to ensure the safety of our children.

Last night all groups mentioned above were present at the scene and an investigation is being conducted by the Westchester Cause and Origin Team. This is customary for a school bus fire. Both municipal groups have been in constant contact with us and are also reviewing our video footage in addition to conducting their investigation. We anticipate learning more about how this investigation will proceed. We are also seeking help from additional government agencies and will use every resource at our disposal to ensure a thorough investigation. Of course, we will share our findings with the community.

We also want to share the processes that are in place to ensure bus safety. In addition to the mandatory and regular 6 month complete inspections on all of our vehicles, an additional internal inspection occurs for each vehicle every other month - this includes an electrical inspection. As an additional safeguard, the District has requested that the bus manufacturing company conduct a review of the electrical systems of each bus.

It is our hope that continuing to update our community will provide you with all available and verified information. We assure you that we will be forthcoming when the cause is determined and as always, we appreciate your concern and support.

As indicated in the email yesterday, our primary concern is the children. As such, it is important to inform your building principal if you determine that your son or daughter needs additional support from the school. Our school staff of psychologists and counselors are ready to address any student concerns. We encourage you to reach out to the principals as we continue to build a supportive and safe school community.

Sincerely,

Jen Lamia, Superintendent of Schools

Scott Levy, School Board President