LAVONIA, GA — Dozens of shaken up bus riders arrived in Charlotte Wednesday night, nine hours after they boarded a bus operated by Megabus.com that caught on fire on Interstate 85 near Parkertown Mill, GA.
The fire forced passengers to scramble off the bus, it also caused the northbound lanes of the busy highway to close for hours on Wednesday.
The bus was traveling from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday when the fire began about 11:40 a.m. near Lavonia. Chicago-based Megabus said about 80 passengers were aboard and all were safely evacuated by the driver in the accident that is the latest in a string of problems for the company.
Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Terri Pope said crews were cutting the charred bus in half horizontally to haul it from the highway.
"It's the only way for the wreckers to remove it," she said.
Traffic was still backed up Wednesday evening with one lane reopened, state police said.
The fire started around noon Wednesday. Video taken after the fire showed the entire back part of the bus was gutted by the fire
"First they said the tire was blown, so they told us to get off the bus. Then a large boom came and everything started smoking and then the fire started," said Passenger Dyamond Eaton.
Shaken up passengers said the driver got all of the passengers off, moments before the bus caught fire.
"We saw a whole bunch of smoke and next thing they said get off the bus and all our clothes were on there," said Chiara Brasley.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Megabus said the bus was a 2012 model and had passed a full maintenance check.
On Aug. 2, a Megabus struck a bridge pillar in the grassy median of Interstate 55 near Litchfield, Ill., killing one passenger and injuring nearly four dozen. Illinois State Police say a blown tire likely caused the double-decker bus to lurch out of control and hit the pillar.
A 76-year-old Chicago woman died Tuesday from injuries she suffered when a Megabus struck her as the driver attempted to make a turn on a downtown street.
The bus that caught on fire was manufactured by Van Hool in 2012 and had passed a full preventative maintenance check less than 2,500 miles ago, according to Megabus.
"Safety remains our number one priority," the company said in a statement Wednesday, stressing that it holds the highest rating available from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Megabus, which began operations in North America in 2006, is owned by Coach USA of Paramus, N.J. The company offers low-priced, one-way fares between major cities in the United States and Canada.
The Associated Press contributed to part of this story.
WSOC
