School bus catches fire in eastern P.E.I.

A school bus caught fire in eastern P.E.I. Wednesday morning on Route 4 near Central Kings.

No one was injured and no students were on the bus when the French Language School Board vehicle overheated and caught fire.

The bus was heading to cole La-Belle-Cloche in Rollo Bay, said officials with the school board.

The driver of the bus was beginning his morning routewhen he noticed the vehicle losingpower, said Brad Samson, acting superintendent for the French Language School Board.

The driver pulled over and requested another bus to complete his route, but while he was waiting at the shoulder of the roadthe engine caught fire, Samson said.

'No elements of concern'

The driver called emergency responders and they arrived to the scene shortly after, Samson said.

The bus had passed an inspection in July, Samson said.

"There were no elements of concern that were identified during regular maintenance of the vehicle," he said.

The fire has caused "significant damage" to the bus and it will no longer be used, Samson said.

Ongoing investigation

An investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing.

The school board is reaching out to its partnersin Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to see if they've had similar incidents with their fleets, he said.

The school board is looking to replace the bus and ensure the incident was isolated, Samson said.

Samson said the driver of the bus followed the emergency training the school board provides for its drivers.

"I'm just happy, in this circumstance, that there were no students involved," he said.

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