MAY 12, 2015
NEWTON, MASS. (WHDH)
Police and other investigators are looking into what led a
Bolt bus to explode on the Mass Pike on Monday.
Forty-seven people on board were
able to escape moments before the bus burst into flames in Newton.
Passengers on the bus, which was traveling to Boston from New York, said they
had no idea what was going on until drivers passing them were screaming that
the bus was on fire.
"No one in front knew what was going on," said
passenger Jake Freeman. "We're screaming from the back, 'We're on fire,
we're on fire, we need to get off.'" Around 20 minutes after everyone got
off the bus, it exploded, blowing the windows out.
Passengers told 7News they had a feeling something was wrong
when they were forced to stop halfway through their trip. The driver pulled
over a rest stop, thinking the bus overheated, and a mechanic looked at it.
"We heard beeping on the bus and she pulled over to a
rest stop for two hours," said passenger Madeline Helimi.
The bus continued on the trip before it started to smoke in
Newton and flames shot out of the engine.
No one was injured in the fire and explosion. In a
statement, Bolt Bus said the investigation is ongoing and they are working with
State Police and the Department of Public Utilities.