Pacific Motorway bus fire: Terror as bus carrying 34 kids on board bursts into flames at Southport on the Gold Coast
More than thirty children had to be evacuated after their bus suddenly caught fire on a busy highway.
Emergency services were called to the spectacular blaze after the rear of the bus caught fire about 10am on Saturday while traveling south on the Pacific Motorway M1 in south-east Queensland near the Gold Coast suburb of Southport.
A Queensland Ambulance spokeswoman said all 34 children on board were safely evacuated from the bus and taken to a safe location by another bus service.
She said everyone on the bus was spotted at 10:10 a.m. when firefighters entered the bus to conduct a search.
When the fire brigade arrived on the scene, the back of the bus was completely on fire
Fortunately, more than 30 children on board the bus were evacuated without injury, while a man in his 50s, believed to be the driver, was taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.
A man in his 50s, believed to be the bus driver, was suspected of suffering smoke inhalation and was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.
None of the children required medical attention from paramedics.
A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokeswoman confirmed two crews were called to the scene, with the first arriving at 10.07am and the bus ‘well engulfed in flames’.
The fire was extinguished by 10.24am and firefighters made the accident scene safe by dampening any hotspots.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and Queensland Police remained at the scene.
The incident caused major delays on the Pacific Motorway beginning mid-morning.
One eyewitness, Madeline Pickering, said southbound traffic was backed up beyond Coomera in the aftermath of the crash.
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