Just as bus No. 20 was arriving to Munger Mountain Elementary School on Friday morning around 8 a.m., the rear engine compartment burst into flames.
Because the bus was already set to unload students, the driver, Jeff Parrott, was able to expedite that process and get everyone safely off the bus while a second driver and school staff worked to extinguish the flames. Due to their quick actions, the fire was quickly extinguished and did not spread into the cab of the bus, the district said in an email to parents.
No one was hurt in the incident. School counselors were available to meet with those who were potentially impacted.
All students who were outside at the time of the fire were ushered into the school and Jackson Hole Fire/EMS crews were able to ensure the fire was completely extinguished.
"We are grateful to the quick actions of our staff and the students who participate in bus evacuation drills at the beginning of each school year,” communications director Charlotte Reynolds wrote.
The cause of the fire is still unknown, Reynolds said in a subsequent interview. The district's head mechanic, Kurt Cantu, will lead an investigation to determine the cause.
At the district’s November board meeting, Cantu described worrisome conditions at the bus barn, a maintenance building which houses the district’s fleet. The roof leaks when it rains, he said, and the insulation needs to be updated. A new barn is part of the district’s strategic facilities plan.
Reynolds said the state of that facility doesn’t necessarily reflect the quality of the fleet.
“We have an ongoing bus maintenance schedule, and a bus replacement schedule and plan as well. So, it's not that we have a decrepit bus barn and decrepit buses. It's just, you know, mechanical issues happen.”
Cantu, at the meeting, said a "good number" of the district's 47 buses are currently decommissioned for “pretty serious issues.”
“Without the space to work on them all simultaneously, what we’re having to do is kind of stagger them in and out of the shop,” he said, which is ultimately extending the time period for repairs.
Bus No. 20 is not slated for replacement until 2028, Reynolds said, based on state and industry standards for mileage and condition. The district's email said busses will run as normal at the end of the Friday school day.
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Fire quickly extinguished on school bus, nobody injured in Friday morning incident - Jackson Hole News&Guide
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