Parkland School District near Allentown, Pennsylvania, was forced to cancel classes Friday after a fire destroyed 16 school buses and the bus barn, while also damaging almost a dozen more buses.
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Superintendent Richard Sniscak said that amounts to about a quarter of the district’s fleet. He also told ABC 6 that all 16 destroyed buses were covered under a 10-year warranty. The district said school will be in session on March 29 to make up for Friday’s closure.
The bus garage, which was located behind the football stadium, caught fire “in the middle of the night,” according to the district. There was no damage to school classrooms and no one was injured.
Neighbors hearing the exploding tires called 911 at around 3 a.m., shared the Lehigh Valley Drone company, which was able to capture several aerial photos of the blaze and its aftermath.
Emergency scene video company NewsWorking said that, upon arrival, the fire chief “found heavy smoke pushing from all sides and roof of the bus garage.” Seven fire companies responded, and it took them about an hour to bring the fire under control.
“We are waiting for delivery of buses from two leasing companies and working to repair some of our mildly damaged fleet,” the district said. Officials were “optimistic” that school would be open on Monday, and it expected to notify parents and staff by 3 p.m. on Sunday to confirm.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Parkland School District transports over 10,000 students across 72 square miles every morning and afternoon.
