Video shows passenger on Columbia bus that caught fire; passenger speaks

ABC 17 News obtained video of the electric bus in Columbia that caught fire earlier this week.

In the video, you can see a passenger who is visibly shocked once she hears the bus’ make a loud sound.

Drew Brooks, the transit and parking manager for Columbia public works, told ABC 17 News that the fire happened around the brake area of the rear wheel and was most likely caused by around the break overheating. He said the fire was not related to the battery or the electrical component of the bus itself.

“All mechanical items can have a failure at some point,” he said. “We’re hoping that in a few weeks we’ll know what it is and can see if it’s something we need to watch out for in the future.”

One of those passengers, Olivia Cordray was sitting right above the tire that blew out.

“Ten minutes before we got to the stop, I started smelling the smell of burned rubber,” Cordray said. “I was sitting back on the left hand side and then this almighty bang came right beneath my seat.”

To see the rear view of the bus when the fire started, click the video below:

The City of Columbia released the following statement:

Bus fire video system files reviewed and released

This press release is to provide additional details regarding the bus fire that occurred at 5:08 p.m. on Monday, May 15, 2017, at 401 William St. in Columbia.

Staff from Public Works reviewed the footage this morning and have provided a summary of the sequence of events as follows:

The bus was traveling eastbound on Hinkson Avenue on the No. 10 route with three passengers. As the bus arrived at the bus stop at Hinkson Street and William Street, the passengers began standing to get off the bus. The sound of a blown tire can be heard on the video.

The passengers got off the bus and the bus driver exited the bus to inspect the tire. At that time no smoke or flames were visible to the driver or on the video. The driver returned to the bus and moved the bus around the corner on to William Street. As he stopped the bus on William Street, one of the passengers who had left the bus, approached to say that something was burning under the bus.

The driver further inspected the bus and returned to report to the dispatcher via two-way radio that smoke and flames were coming from the left rear tire of the bus. He retrieved the fire extinguisher and attempted to extinguish the fire. He returned to the radio and reported that the fire was still burning and that he was exiting the bus. Fire Department personnel arrived moments later and extinguished the fire.

“A preliminary inspection by the manufacturer found no indication that batteries or electrical components were the cause of the fire, but rather that the most likely cause was a brake malfunction that overheated and ignited the tire,” Transit and Parking Manager Drew Brooks said. “The bus will be transported to the manufacturer for further evaluation and eventual repair.”

The Public Works Transit Division, the bus manufacturer and the Columbia Fire Department Fire Marshal’s division will continue to share information. The Columbia Fire Department’s official report should be complete within 10 business days.

Attached to this press release are videos of the incident, from multiple angles, that were captured by the on board surveillance system.

If you would like to see the full video of the passenger inside the bus before it caught fire, click here.

*Note: The video timestamp is in Pacific Time.