Bulldog tennis team escapes bus fire

By CONSTANCE SEE

Whitefish Pilot

All 12 onboard escaped injury when a school bus transporting eight members of the Whitefish tennis team plus three coaches and a bus driver caught fire last Saturday.

The team was returning from a state tournament in Miles City when the bus caught fire near Park City on Interstate 90 at about 5:30 p.m.

Within minutes after the bus was evacuated, the 1988 MI-102 motorcoach was totally engulfed in flames.

"A few of us were smelling something burning," said Kathy Cummings, the girls tennis team coach. "A couple of kids commented to each other that the floor felt hot, but they didn't tell the bus driver."

Tennis player and student, Brendan Viscomi was on the bus. He said the passengers smelled something burning but assumed it was related to the oil refineries in the area.

Justin and Kody Wilson, newlyweds from Billings on their way to Bozeman, noticed flames near a rear tire. They drove past the Rocky Mountain Transportation bus holding up a sign that read, "You're on fire."

As soon as bus driver Frank Newberry read the sign, he pulled the vehicle off the highway and ordered everyone out.

"When the driver yelled, 'We're on fire, get out,' everyone remained calm," Cummings said. "No one panicked, but several of the kids left their shoes inside the bus."

No one was injured, but tennis rackets, iPods, luggage, books, homework, backpacks and other personal items were destroyed.

"You just go into survival mode," Cummings said. "We all just stood outside about 300 yards away watching the bus go up in flames. It was white smoke, then black smoke and the windows all started popping."

Viscomi said at first he saw flames on the right wheel well.

"It didn't take long before the flames jumped over the side of the bus," he said. "Most of the flames were gone by the time the firemen arrived."

Using his cell phone, Vis-comi called his parents to alert them about the situation. Then he took photos of the event. He said he lost his rackets and clothes.

"They were worried, but I told them we were all OK," Viscomi said.

The students and staff were taken to a motel in Bozeman to spend the night.

Dale Duff, president of Rocky Mountain Transpor-tation, said all buses undergo period inspections as well as a pre-trip check list of about 20 items, including tires, lights and brakes before each trip.

"Preliminary reports show the fire started when a rear tire went flat and rubbed against the wheel housing," Duff said. "We have a team of people examining the bus in Billings. We will find out the cause of the fire."

Duff said three mechanics inspected the bus and found evidence indicating an inside tire of the dual wheels on the rear went flat. The flat tire then rubbed against a wheel housing, causing the fire.

This was the second Rocky Mountain Transportation vehicle that caught fire this year. The last fire occurred on Feb. 21 in a SNOW bus. No one other than the driver was in the bus when it caught fire. He was not injured.

"There is no connection between the two fires," Duff said. "We will continue to do our maintenance and inspections with a heightened level of scrutiny."

Whitefish school superintendent Jerry House said the district's priority is keeping everyone safe.

"Nobody was hurt," House said. "Rocky Mountain did a heck of a job. The bus driver did a heck of a job."

House said federal inspectors inspected the district's buses earlier this year and gave the district a number one rating.

House said he's working with the insurance company to compile a list of lost items, and he's already called to replace the student's second-place trophy and several medallions that were also lost in the fire.