Frisco Independent School District officials said they pulled a total of five new school buses from service after one caught fire.
District officials said they had been using the 2015 Blue Bird diesel buses for less than a week when one caught fire transporting two adults and two children Tuesday.
The district pulled four additional buses from service Wednesday and held a training session for about 150 drivers who operate buses equipped for special needs students.
“We’ve done everything we can to make sure we have safe buses on the road, because that’s the last thing we want to happen again,” said Doug Becker, Frisco ISD’s Director of Transportation, adding that bus fires are extremely rare. “In fact, my boss has been here 30+ years and this is the first bus fire in Frisco ISD since he’s been here.”
Officials said the buses will remain out of service until the cause of the fire is determined. A preliminary presentation given to Frisco ISD employees Wednesday afternoon said the fire may have started in an electrical panel on the driver's side of the bus, leading to the smoke coming out of the dash.
District officials said representatives from Blue Bird Corporation and Rush Bus Centers came to inspect the burned bus as well as the four others.
Frisco ISD tells NBC 5 they are not aware of any recalls or existing issues with the 2015 Blue Bird Safety Vision buses.
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Editor's note: The district initially reported the buses were of the 2014 model year. The district later updated their statement to say they were of the 2015 model year.
