Scott Co. school bus catches fire following football game in Lexington

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - A Scott County school bus caught fire in Lexington on I-75 Northbound near the 118-mile marker Friday night.

Officials say the bus was one of three that was carrying Scott County High School students back from their football game against Fredrick Douglass High School in Lexington. This bus was carrying members of the football team back to the school.

Scott County Schools said a malfunction happened on the bus, and it caught fire. Witness said they say the back wheels smoking. Firefighters confirmed the fire started in the back before engulfing the entire bus. They said about 100 gallons of fuel leaked from the bus.

The school district said everyone on board is safe and was able to exit the bus, including all student-athletes, coaches, and the driver of the bus. Other rides were arranged to get everyone home.

Incoming Scott County Superintendent Bill Parker said everyone being safe is the most important thing. He credited quick thinking and actions by a couple of drivers and the coaches that saved everyone on the bus.

“He got into a position where he could notify the driver and the driver pulled over and was able to get all the students and the coaching staff off the bus,” Parker said. " And the rest, you’ve seen the images I’m sure. It’s a total loss of the bus.

Parker said the school district will have resources available to team members and staff if they need it. He said when it comes to a situation as serious as this one, mental health needs to be considered as important as physical health.

“We do just like any type of situation that may be traumatic, we do have mental health professionals on our staff that are really keyed in on making sure that we’re proactive, or as proactive as we can be in these types of situations, just to make sure that students mental health needs are met as well,” said Parker.

Parker called the driver and coaches heroes.

“I heard a lot from people who were driving by that happened to know me that reached out about that shared just how swift everybody’s response was to taking care of the needs of our students,” he said.

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