No injuries reported after school bus catches on fire near downtown Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS — There was a scary sight in Lowry Hill on Thursday morning when a school bus caught on fire.
"Someone in my building described it as 9/11," Megan Bacigalupo said.
Flames and a tall, tall cloud of smoke were seen on the corner of West Franklin Avenue and DuPont Avenue South — caused by a scorched school bus.
Witnesses say the driver had to make a dramatic escape.
"I saw a woman, I believe a driver, jump out and it looked like there were no kids on the bus and then the fire just got bigger and bigger and bigger," Bacigalupo said.
The bus, operated by private company Bille Bus, who declined to comment, started sparking in the morning. Bill Jones, who does maintenance for the Scottish Rite Temple, says it was too close for comfort.
"That was my first concern. That maybe there was something going on in the building," Jones said.
Not much was harmed by the blazing bus other than a sign melted — showing parking rules for the street corner of Franklin and Dupont.
But there is an ember of concern about a piece of history.
"The only thing I'd be worried about is the stained glass," Jones said. "The lead in the stained glass... If the heat was intense enough."
Neighbors are just glad firefighters got there so fast.
"We just all were so glad to know no one was injured," Annie Waters, who lives nearby, said.