Records: Wake school bus inspected hours before catching fire
A school bus that caught fire in Cary on Thursday afternoon underwent a monthly inspection earlier in the day, according to Wake County Public School System records.
A bus driver and a Highcroft Elementary School student on board the bus escaped without injury after the driver pulled onto the shoulder of northbound N.C. Highway 55 near Green Hope School Road.
"All WCPSS buses must undergo an inspection once every 30 days, along with daily checks by bus drivers before and after each bus run. Buses are pulled from service when repairs are required," school district spokeswoman Lisa Luten said in an email Monday.
Bus No. 1122 underwent repairs over the summer and had a "routine 30-day inspection" on Thursday, Luten said.
The bus was cleared from the Thursday inspection at 3:14 p.m., according to district records. The fire was reported at 4:20 p.m.
Several problems were noted in previous inspections, such as overheating in a May check and ignition problems in both May and June.
"The first thing I think about is these buses carry our children. These buses have our children’s lives in [them]. That’s why this is important," parent Bryan Morris said Monday.
"If they can’t figure out the problem, heads need to roll," parent Chris Michaels said. "People need to resign, or we need a change of leadership there to make sure we’re actually getting safe buses for kids."
Transportation officials from the school district and the state Department of Public Instruction are investigating to determine what sparked the blaze.
"Early indicators in the investigation point to a failure in the air conditioning system," Luten said.
