Bus fire sends children to hospital

Deepa Bharath

COSTA MESA -- Five children were taken to area hospitals for smoke

inhalation after the rear tire of their charter bus blew on the San Diego

Freeway on Friday morning.

The bus with 50 children from a Los Angeles Jewish day school was

headed southbound on the San Diego Freeway, between the Euclid Street and

Harbor Boulevard exits, when the right rear tire blew on the inside at

11:04 a.m., said Costa Mesa Fire Capt. Scott Broussard. The children were

on a day trip to Irvine and Yorba Linda parks, he said.

The heat from the impact caused the bus to catch on fire. It burned

into the engine and onto the top of the bus.

“About a quarter of the bus was on fire by the time our units got

there,” Broussard said. “There was a lot of smoke.”

The bus driver had to get the bus from the carpool lane to the

shoulder of the freeway.

“It was a struggle for him with all the smoke, the fire and the kids

panicking,” Broussard said. “But he was like the captain of a ship. He

got all the kids out, the teacher out and then got out himself. He did a

great job.”

The fire was under control in about 25 minutes. The children were

taken to the next exit and then continued on with their excursion on

another bus, Broussard said.

Four children were taken to Fountain Valley Regional Hospital and one

to Hoag Hospital, where they were treated and released for smoke

inhalation, he said.

“We offered them Gatorade because the kids were all hot and

exhausted,” Broussard said. “But they wouldn’t drink Gatorade because

it’s not kosher. But we gave them water, and they felt a lot better after

that.”