The passengers, a group of schoolchildren, and their driver, luckily escaped unscathed. A bus was hit by an impressive fire while hurtling down a street in Nîmes (Gard) this Friday noon, we read in Le Midi Libre and on France Bleu Gard Lozère, without causing any injuries.
The origin of the tragedy remains uncertain. According to France Bleu Gard Lozère, while the school bus was making its rounds, smoke escaped from the rear of the vehicle, prompting a child to alert the driver of the coach.
Immediately, the driver, who had to pick up children at a stop, evacuated the dozen college students who were in his vehicle. The flames then seem to have spread in the bus.
“The tires exploded”
“It was a bit like a scene of war”, testifies a passerby to France Bleu. Ignited, the bus then descended about twenty meters, hitting a bus shelter and a traffic light in its path, before hitting the wall of a private property. “The tires exploded”, continues the witness.
The flames continued to ravage the bus, empty, until it was destroyed in its entirety, as shown by several images relayed by local newspapers and firefighters.
23 firefighters and four fire vehicles were mobilized to put out the fire, reports Le Midi Libre. Street furniture and fence walls were also damaged by the heat and smoke, say the Gard firefighters, who add that the accident, although impressive, did not cause any injuries.