STANISLAUS COUNTY, Calif. — A Stanislaus County transit bus was caught in the flames of the Corral Fire Saturday evening.
After the Corral Fire sparked near Tracy in San Joaquin County, it produced enough smoke and fire to force cars on the highway to turn around and head westbound.
Among the vehicles impacted was a Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority bus. The driver was given the clearance to turn around, but the wheels got caught on the highway median, causing it to stall while the wildfire grew.
Not long afterward, officials said the fire reached the rear of the bus, but the driver saw it coming, evacuated everyone onboard and helped get everyone to safety.
The fire on the bus was quickly doused after efforts from the California Highway Patrol.
"We are incredibly grateful to our driver for her composure and professionalism during this incident as well as to our passengers who all worked together in an extremely stressful moment,” said Adam Barth, CEO of Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority. “Additionally, we thank the CHP for their quick action to ensure the safety of our passengers and driver.”
The transit bus is currently at a tow yard in Tracy until it can be released by to StanRTA. After that, the maintenance team will assess the damage and make the needed repairs. StanRTA is also reviewing their safety protocols to make sure they're prepared for any future incidents.
No one was hurt during the incident.
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