Stowaway Lights Cigarette in Bus Baggage Compartment in Va.
Source WUSA9.com
TAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (WUSA9) -- Police suspect that the fire that seriously injured a man in the luggage compartment of a Greyhound bus was started by a lit cigarette.
The 35-year-old man was transported to the hospital after the incident on I-95 South on Thursday afternoon.
The man is a New Jersey resident and stowed away in the luggage compartment before the bus' departure from New York on Thursday, police said.
The bus was heading to Atlanta with a stop in Richmond the change drivers, according to police.
The fire occurred between the Quantico Marine Corps base and VA-610 near Garrisonville on I-95 South, according to traffic reports.
The driver of the bus noticed smoke coming into the cabin of the bus around 3:30 p.m. He was able to pull over and all 28 passengers exited the bus without incident, police said.
The fire started in the baggage compartment, police said. The man inside the compartment was flown to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to police. The cause of the fire, and how the man ended up in the luggage compartment are under investigation.
Traffic on the highway backed up for about 8 miles, the Virginia Department of transportation (VDOT) said. All southbound lanes had reopened by 5:09 p.m., police said.
