An explosion rocked the Sun Metro Operations Center in East El Paso, injuring seven individuals and prompting a massive response from over 100 firefighters, according to El Paso Times. The incident occurred at the facility near the El Paso airport, resulting in a large fire that led to the partial collapse of the maintenance area's roof and walls. Fire Department crews were occupied with controlling the blaze and extinguishing hotspots as reported by KTSM.
City officials announced that as a consequence of the damage from the two-alarm blaze, Sun Metro's public bus fixed route service will operate on a reduced Sunday/holiday schedule starting Wednesday, repercussions of the event felt across the municipality's transportation infrastructure, with the reduced service slated to last for a week while an investigation into the cause of the explosion, initially suspected by a spokesperson to involve a vehicle inside the operations center, is carried out under information from the Fire Department.
The explosion's aftermath saw El Paso Police joining firefighting efforts while the Sun Metro headquarters sustained significant structural damage, the full extent of this impact is yet to be determined with Sun Metro likely facing intense scrutiny in the forthcoming days. El Paso Mayor Renard Johnson extended his condolences and support to those affected by the event, stating, "I am deeply saddened by the tragic vehicle explosion near the Sun Metro bus headquarters today. My thoughts and prayers are with those who were injured, their families, and everyone affected by this devastating incident. El Paso is standing with you," as obtained by KFOX-TV.
