Flint McColgan
Boston Herald
(MCT)
Mar. 3—An explosion and major fire erupted at a school bus depot for the Kearsarge Regional School District in the small town of Bradford, N.H., that left two employees with critical burn injuries.
“Both were able to escape, but suffered injuries and were transported to the nearest hospital for care,” said Jen Holzapfel, spokeswoman for Student Transportation of America, the company that owned and operated the bus terminal about 25 miles northwest of Concord, in a statement. “Our thoughts are with these employees and their families. We wish them a swift and full recovery.”
A 911 call alerted the local fire department to the blaze at 2345 N.H. Route 114 at about 10:35 a.m., according to Tyler Dumont, spokesman for the New Hampshire Department of Public Safety. The road was closed to traffic as firefighters from multiple agencies battled the flames, according to multiple reports.
The fire raged to 5 alarms, according to the N.H. State Fire Marshal’s office. The agency added that the two people injured were working on a propane-powered school bus prior to the explosion. Both were first transported to a Concord hospital before being flown to a Boston-area hospital, where they are in critical condition.
“I was leaving this morning and I saw massive, billowing smoke,” said Pat Draper, who lives about a quarter mile from the terminal and had a clear line of sight. “I would say it had to be 100 feet tall. And then a large fire ball from what I would guess was a school bus exploding.”
Fire Marshals were still at the scene investigating by 3:45 p.m. Wednesday.
“This is a small community,” Draper said. “A small town where everyone knows each other. So when something like this happens in your backyard, it’s pretty scary.”
Video courtesy Pat Draper.
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