Pa. Bus Blows Tire, Catches Fire
CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. --
A church group from Franklin County on their way to Lancaster County made an unexpected detour Tuesday morning when their bus caught fire.
Heat from the blown tire caught the back of the bus on fire.
The bus fire happened at the Newville exit off Interstate 81 in Cumberland County at about 9:30 a.m.
There were 46 people on board the bus, including the driver, and no one was hurt.
News 8 is told that a back tire on the bus blew. The driver tried to pull over, but there wasn't a shoulder so he drove about a half mile to an off ramp.
The driver told everyone to get off the bus. The tire started smoking and the heat from it set the back of the bus on fire.
"I feel we're lucky and we'll have something to talk about I guess," said bus passenger Francis Humelsine.
"Our director he gave a prayer before we left. Prayed we'd have a safe trip. Ha. Well, we're safe so far. We got off," said bus passenger Evelyn Angle.
State police said that they have seen tires blown before, but nothing like this.
The group from King Street United Brethren Church in Chambersburg was headed to a dinner theater in Lancaster County.
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