A fire that completely destroyed a tour bus led to major traffic delays and the temporary closure of a portion of Interstate 595 in Broward County Friday afternoon.
The fire broke out of the bus in the westbound lanes of the highway between Nob Hill Road and Pine Island Road.
Cellphone video from witnesses showed the moments after the fire broke out, with the bus completely engulfed in flames and thick black smoke rising into the air.
“It looked like a bomb went off, there was so much smoke," said Matthew Tremellen, who lives nearby. He said beforehand, he heard a loud bang and his whole house shook.
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Florida Highway Patrol officials said there were around 50 passengers on board but all evacuated and there were no injuries.
Aerial footage from Chopper 6 showed all westbound lanes closed as Davie Fire Rescue crews doused the bus with water. Some of the lanes later reopened but not before the closure caused major delays.
The double-decker bus appeared to have been completely destroyed by the fire. The passengers could be seen standing on the side of the highway nearby.
The cause of the fire was unknown. FHP officials said they were arranging to have a Broward County bus assist with transporting the passengers.
Local
A Broward County spokesperson said a county bus arrived at the scene and allowed the passengers to shelter in place until a private bus arrived to pick them up.
