School Bus Catches Fire

There were some anxious moments last Friday morning for students, parents, and Whitehall School Officials.

According to Whitehall Superintendent of Schools John Sullivan, the school was notified before the start of school that one of their busses had caught fire. Sullivan said they were informed of the fire by parents who had seen the bus, and also through being in communication with the bus radio.

Whitehall Volunteer Fire Chief Jeremy Ward said the department was paged to the fire at 7:58 a.m. and was on scene at 8:03 a.m. He said two Whitehall trucks and four fighters responded to fire, and they also had assistance from other agencies. He said the location of the fire was at mile marker 12 on Highway 55 near the edge of town.

Sullivan said he responded to the scene and found out the six students and the bus driver were safe.

"We're thankful there were no injuries," Sullivan said.

Local resident Dawn Welch was taking her daughter to school Friday morning when she he heard a big boom.

Welch said the two were startled and soon noticed the rear of the bus on fire.

Ward said the fire started near the rear axle, and the cause is unknown at this time.

Sullivan said they met with the six students when they arrived at school and had them notify their parents that they were all okay.

He said they had students write out a statement about what happened and also had counselors available.