Bus involved in forest fire accident in Tracy

The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority (StanRTA) reported over the weekend that one of its buses was involved in the Corral Hollow wildfire early Saturday evening, June 1. Officials confirmed that no passengers or the driver were injured.

The incident occurred when the wildfire actively spreading in the Corral Hollow area on Saturday caused an extreme amount of smoke and fire, forcing vehicles on the highway to turn around and head west. When she was cleared, the StanRTA driver attempted to turn the bus around, but the wheels got stuck on the highway’s median, causing it to stop. Shortly after, the fire reached the rear of the bus and flames took hold.

According to StanRTA officials, when the driver saw the danger approaching the bus, she immediately evacuated all passengers and helped to get the passengers to safety on the north side of the highway, where there was no smoke or fire. Thanks to the quick response of the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the fire on the bus was quickly extinguished and the passengers and driver were removed from the danger zone.

“We are incredibly grateful to our driver for her composure and professionalism during this incident, as well as to our passengers who all worked together during this extremely stressful moment,” said Adam Barth, CEO of the Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority. “We also thank the CHP for their quick action to ensure the safety of our passengers and drivers.”

The bus was held at a tow yard in Tracy until it was returned to StanRTA. Upon its return, the maintenance team would assess the extent of the damage and then immediately make the necessary repairs to return the vehicle to service.

The Stanislaus Regional Transit Authority is a joint agency of the City of Modesto and Stanislaus County created to consolidate transit services throughout the county except for the City of Turlock.

The Tracy-area fire burned an estimated 5,720 acres of land and disrupted traffic flow in the area several times over the weekend.