Miracle in Iowa! Entire Baseball Team SURVIVES After Charter Bus ENGULFED by Fire! See the PIX!
DES MOINES, IA – A charter bus that was transporting a professional baseball team from Iowa to a game in Illinois caught fire early Friday, officials said.
Earlham Fire and Rescue said firefighters responded to a report of a vehicle fire at around 2:45 a.m. Friday, and arrived to find the charter bus carrying the Sioux City Explorers on fire.
All members of the team made it off the bus safely before the fire “quickly” spread from the engine compartment to the passenger cabin, fire officials said.
The highway between Earlham and Interstate 80 was closed for approximately three hours while firefighters extinguished the blaze, which firefighters said was the result of “mechanical issues.” The bus was a total loss.
Another charter bus was able to pick the team up and continue on to their game. Earlham Fire and Rescue wished the team “good luck” on Facebook.
“We want to thank the Earlham Fire & Rescue crew & volunteers for their exceptional & quick response,” the team wrote on Facebook.
Iowa State Rep. J.D. Scholten, a pitcher for the Sioux City Explorers, was on board the bus when it caught fire.
“I was in the middle of the bus asleep when the bus pulled over and the guys in the back of the bus were telling everyone to get off,” Scholten wrote on Facebook.
“Very grateful no one was hurt! The Earlham fire department were on the scene immediately.”
The Sioux City Explorers are part of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent league. Their scheduled Friday game against the Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Ill., was pushed back to 6:50 p.m.
Written by TMX staff, with additional reporting by Jack and Kitty Norton.
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