TDCJ prisoner transport bus catches fire near Centerville

CENTERVILLE, Texas (KBTX) – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is investigating why an inmate transport bus caught fire on Interstate 45 in Leon County Tuesday morning.

According to a TDCJ spokesperson, there were 25 passengers on the bus at the time of the fire. All were able to exit the bus safely before Centerville firefighters arrived on the scene.

Several local police officers also responded to the fire, but at no point was the safety of the occupants at risk.

The incident has understandably shaken some in the community as they continue to grapple with the trauma of one of the deadliest prison breaks in Texas history occurring in their backyard.

In May 2022, convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez escaped from a transport bus that caught fire just like the one that caught fire on Tuesday and later murdered five people in a nearby home. Lopez was tracked down the following month in an area south of San Antonio and killed by police officers.

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