Copley-Fairlawn Students Return Safely after Bus Mishap

About 250 students and 30 chaperones were on their way home from a school trip from New York late Saturday night when a bus they were riding in lost a rear tire.

There were no injuries.

Copley High School Cameron Ryba described the incident in a letter to parents.

Unfortunately on the trip home, we received a call that no trip advisor ever wants to get, that there was a serious problem with one of our buses.  Just east of Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, one of the five buses traveling blew a tire at the rear of the bus, causing mass amounts of sparks to be produced. 

These sparks ignited and caught fire.  The driver quickly stopped and chaperones got all students off and a safe distance from the bus.  The fire could not be controlled with the available fire extinguishers and 911 was called.  By the time the fire was put out, nearly half of the bus had been destroyed by the  fire.   Although it is likely many of the material possessions on board will not be recovered, all students, staff and parents were safe.

Ryba said the bus company quickly stepped in to help. A replacement bus was made available within an hour after firefighters released the scene to transport students and chaperones home to Copley. Salvageable items will be shipped to the high school sometime this week.

The trip is an annual event for . In an interview before the group left, band director said it is a chance for students to see the "major leagues" of the arts world.

See a local news report of the accident here.