CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Firefighters did some mop-up work yesterday on a city bus that caught fire during morning traffic.
Fire burns 6-month-old
city bus in traffic
The city bus that caught fire on the H-1 freeway airport viaduct yesterday morning had been in service for only six months, according to the company that operates TheBus.
Roger Morton, senior vice president of Oahu Transit Services Inc., said the company took delivery of the 60-foot articulated bus and 15 others like it in December and put it into service Jan. 9. Articulated buses have two connected passenger cabs.
OTS mechanics are inspecting the other 15 buses "to see if there is anything obvious," Morton said. Otherwise, they will remain in service.
The manufacturer, New Flyer, of Winnipeg, Canada, supplied the city with its first 30 articulated buses in 1999, which are still in service.
OTS has asked the Honolulu Fire Department and an automotive engineer to help figure out what caused the fire.
"It's a major concern to us," Morton said.
The driver called the OTS dispatcher to report smoke in the bus at 8:22 a.m.
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Firefighters examine the engine compartment on the bus.
By the time the company called the Honolulu Fire Department, a motorist had already called 911 to report smoke pouring out of the back of the bus.
The driver quickly evacuated the town-bound express bus after stopping it on the left shoulder near the Zipmobile garage. None of the 80 passengers aboard the bus were injured. They were on another articulated bus by 8:35 a.m.
The fire temporarily shut all eastbound lanes.
The first fire engine arrived at 8:32 a.m. Two other engines arrived to help fight the fire, which was extinguished by 8:52.
