Yesterday's commute on Santa Monica Boulevard took an unexpected turn when a bus caught fire in the Sawtelle neighborhood. At approximately 5:00 PM, the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call involving an MTA bus that had burst into flames near the 11700 block of West Santa Monica Boulevard, the LAFD noted.
Firefighters faced the added challenge of the vehicle's compressed natural gas fuel tanks located on top of the bus. Thankfully, the flames were extinguished from a distance using a wagon battery deployed by the first arriving engine, as detailed in an LAFD alert.
The agency reported that the CNG tanks did not seem to be impacted. HazMat teams were promptly dispatched to the scene to evaluate any potential dangers. In a stroke of luck, no injuries were reported in the incident, according to the LAFD.
As per the official LAFD report, multiple units including E19, E295, E37, E59, E95, EM9, HM95, RA37, RA59, and T95 all arrived under the command of Battalion Chief 9 to manage the event.
