Pace: Cause of Bus Fire Still Unknown

While the cause of the fire that set a Pace bus ablaze last week is still unknown, officials say the cause is probably not a fleet-wide problem.

“There’s nothing that indicates it was anything like a fleet defect,” said Pace spokesperson Patrick Wilmot.

The bus was parked near other buses at the Lake Cook Road Metra station in Deerfield last Thursday, June 9, when it spontaneously caught fire, according to the Northbrook Fire Department. Northbrook firefighters responded and controlled the blaze with foam, preventing any damage to nearby buses.

According to Wilmot, the driver was sitting inside the bus when the fire started, but left as soon as smoke appeared.

Both Pace and the Northbrook Fire Department are investigating the cause of the blaze, Wilmot said. Although he said it was too soon to speculate, he noted that the bus was an older model, and that the fire could have been caused by an engine leak.

“We have a very strict maintenance program,” he added. Bus drivers check their vehicles before leaving the garage and when they return at the end of the day, and a mechanic checks the fleet daily, according to Wilmot.

“Basically, our mantra is preventative maintenance,” he said.  

Photos by Tim Olk, Fire Department Photo Unit.