Local eyewitness, Patricia O’Grady, came upon a smoky scene Wednesday at 3:15 p.m. as she drove to her Aldergrove home with her kids in tow.
What appeared to be a “school bus fire,” according to other locals posting to a forum online, ended up being a mere bout of diesel fuel combustion from its engine.
“We were on Fraser Highway when we saw a bus pull over just past the 264 Street intersection with its hazard lights on,” O’Grady explained.
From what the O’Gradys saw, an extensive amount of smoke came out from the back of a First Student Canada school bus heading North on 264 Street, but there were no visible sign of flames.
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“I think the bus driver was quite heroic because he let the kids off immediately, near a gas station, and continued to drive himself out of the way of traffic.” O’Grady added.
The group of children were then able to walk to the new Starbucks, at 26361 Fraser Hwy., and await further assistance, O’Grady said.
“[The bus driver] handled it really well,” O’Grady emphasized.
RCMP units were called to the scene. Upon their arrival, Langley Township fire department members discovered diesel spray was the cause of the rear-end fumes – not an explosion nor smoke from a fire making its exit through the bus’ exhaust pipe.
“There were no signs of fire,” confirmed Deputy Chief Bruce Ferguson.
“The students and bus driver were not in need of any medical assistance,” Ferguson finished.