Bus Fire On I-5 Causes Major Disruption

SEATTLE, WA - A charter bus caught fire on I-5 Friday afternoon briefly forcing the closure all northbound lanes, adding extra stress to the afternoon commute.

The bus broke down and caught fire along I-5 near the West Seattle Bridge just after 2 p.m., according to Seattle fire Chief Harold Scoggins. Firefighters had to close all lanes so that the fire could be put out. Meanwhile, northbound traffic was funneled off the highway at Columbian Way and onto city streets.

There were 31 people on the bus from the Stanford University track team, and they all got off safely, according to Scoggins. A King County Metro bus was called to the scene to pick them up.

The incident triggered the city of Seattle to issue an alert, warning drivers that the incident could create problems for the evening commute. By 5 p.m., crews were loading the charred bus onto the back of a flatbed, and crews were working to clear fluids off the highway.

Firefighters had difficulty finding water to put out the fire. They had to run about 2,000 feet of hose to the scene from two different locations, Scoggins said. Firefighters had to shut down Airport Way for a brief period to hook up one of their hoses.

Images via WSDOT