A Bolt bus traveling from NYC to Boston caught fire on the Massachusetts Turnpike, near West Newton. A video shows a startling explosion and windows blasting out—and amazingly no injuries have been reported yet:
Bolt bus explodes on the Mass Pike eastbound in the West Newton section of Newton #wcvb pic.twitter.com/oRXWcRjgZG
— russnelligan (@russnelligan) May 11, 2015
Another video shows flames from the rear of the bus:
The fire broke out around 5 p.m.
All lanes Rte 90 EB closed at 124mm #Newton. #NewtonFD on scene now. pic.twitter.com/tY2XSc4GBv
— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) May 11, 2015
According to NECN, a passenger said "the bus stopped in Connecticut for a mechanical issue, but ultimately continued. The bus departed from New York City and was headed to Boston."
The fire is now a two-alarm fire, and has extended into the brush by the turnpike. EMS is reportedly checking over passengers. We'll update as more information becomes available.
Update: A spokesperson for Greyound, which owns Bolt Bus, told us:
In regard to the Boltbus incident, I can confirm that the incident occurred at approximately 5:00 p.m. EST in Newton, MA on Hwy I-90 Eastbound. The bus was traveling from New York to Boston with 47 customers onboard. Once the driver noticed smoke, the driver pulled over, evacuated the bus and called local authorities, who are currently investigating the situation. All 47 customers that were onboard are unharmed and were able to retrieve all their belongings.
A relief bus has been sent from New York to transport all customers to Boston. The relief bus will arrive at approximately 6:00 p.m. EST.
The exact cause of the incident is currently being investigated. We are fully cooperating with local authorities and the local fire department on the investigation and conducting an investigation of our own. Any questions about the potential cause of the fire should be directed toward them.
Passengers getting on another Bolt Bus which stopped at side of Pike after fire. Bus was headed NYC to BOS pic.twitter.com/hUfw7bbwFP
— Josh Brogadir (@joshbNECN) May 11, 2015