Electric school bus catches fire, burns on Los Angeles streets

An electric school bus used by the Los Angeles Unified School District caught fire on the streets of Sunland on Wednesday morning, authorities confirmed.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire was reported at 9:20 a.m. on Foothill Boulevard, just below the 210 Freeway overpass. No children were aboard at the time, and the driver was transported to a local hospital for minor smoke inhalation injuries.

Aerial footage showed a large plume of smoke emerging from below the underpass. The smoke led to the closure of the Osbourne Street offramp, according to Caltrans.

Fire crews were at the scene but appeared to keep their distance from the flames. Experts say fires involving lithium-ion batteries, commonly used in electric vehicles, are typically controlled and firefighters are advised to let them burn out.

"They burn safely even though they burn longer than a regular fire would," said Tesla business development manager Jan Gromadzki. during a fire safety training earlier this year. "It's something controlled and easily managed by the fire department with regular gear."

The bulk of the fire was knocked down by 10:55 a.m., the LAFD said. Overhaul procedures were set to continue for an additional three to four hours.