Broward County students safe after their bus catches fire on way home from SeaWorld field trip
PORT ST. LUCIE — A group of Broward County children are safe after their bus caught on fire from a field trip from Orlando's SeaWorld on Friday night.
"Yes, the bus did catch fire. Due to the bus driver's quick actions, all students and staff evacuated safely," Broward County Public Schools spokesman John Sullivan told CBS News Miami's news partner The Miami Herald in a text early Saturday morning.
According to BCPS spokesperson Cathleen Brennan, the fire occurred around 8:30 p.m. after the bus had to pull over near the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce rest stop on Florida's Turnpike. The Herald stated that 47 students and four chaperones from Seminole Middle School in Plantation were aboard the charter bus, including its driver.
"All students and staff had been safely evacuated from the bus before the fire started," Brennan told the Herald. "We are proud of the quick response to this situation by all the chaperones, including the school resource officer and assistant principal, as well as the charter bus driver."
BCPS told the Herald that it could not say what led to the fire, referring questions regarding the cause and the condition of the bus to the charter company My South Bus Tours, the Hollywood-based company that was hired for the trip.
"The chaperones safely escorted the students to the nearby Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce rest stop and everyone waited inside that facility until a replacement charter bus arrived," Brennan told the Herald.
According to a video provided to Herald reporter Devoun Cetoute, children are seen watching their bus burn in the distance as they make their way to the rest stop.
The Herald reported that Seminole Middle's website calendar indicated that the sixth graders were taking a field trip to SeaWorld on Friday, which was scheduled to end around 10:30 p.m.
According to the Herald, early reports on Friday came via video and text messages from students on the trip while they were en route to Broward County.
"Parents were kept informed about the incident through phone calls with their students and chaperones, as well as through messages from the principal - which provided updates on the replacement charter bus, including when the bus would arrive, when the students were onboard and information about their expected arrival time back at the school," Brennan told the Herald. "All children were safe during this process and the school appreciated the support from parents."
Brennan did not specify to the Herald whether BCPS might plan future field trips differently following Friday's incident. However, she did praise the school and district, along with the chaperones, students and staff for the way they handled the fire.
CBS News Miami did reach out to BCPS and Brennan provided the following statement on behalf of the district:
"On Friday evening (February 16), a charter bus with students and chaperones from Seminole Middle School was driving back from a trip to Orlando, when the charter bus pulled over to the side of the road, near the Port St. Lucie/Fort Pierce Turnpike rest stop. All students, chaperones and the bus driver safely evacuated prior to the fire starting. No one was hurt.
The chaperones, including a School Resource Officer and Assistant Principal, escorted the students to the Turnpike rest stop to wait for a replacement bus. All students were safe during this time and the school's principal remained in communication with the students' parents and guardians regarding this situation. Once the replacement charter bus arrived, the students and chaperones returned safely to the school. We are proud of the quick responses to this situation by all those involved, as the safety of students and staff is always our priority."
