Driver, 3 Students Escape Bus Fire

A school bus picking up children for Patrick Elementary School burst into flames Friday morning, but the driver and three students on board escaped out the back unhurt.

Driver Eric Sunfield said he was driving up Sardine Creek Road when he pulled over to let an oncoming car go by on a corner.

The bus hit some loose dirt, the right front fender glanced off a tree and the impact ruptured a propane fuel line, he said.

Sunfield said he couldn’t get out the front door or reach the fire extinguisher.

Central Point School District included propane-powered buses in its fleet about 20 years ago because the fuel was less expensive and burned more cleanly.