School bus fire still under investigation

The cause of Monday afternoon's school bus fire is still under investigation, Bluffton fire officials said Tuesday.

Nine Bluffton Elementary School children, ages 5 to 10, were aboard the bus when it caught fire on Buckwalter Parkway in front of Hampton Hall around 4:10 p.m. All nine students and their driver vacated safely. No injuries were reported.

The fire burned the rear half of the bus and melted its tires.

Bluffton Township Fire District's deputy chief John Thompson said Tuesday two investigators were working on the case. Thompson said he may have an update as early as today.

John Williams, assistant superintendent for information services for the Beaufort County School District, said Tuesday that although the district has not had a bus fire like Monday's in recent history, school transportation has experienced other problems, including engine and transmission issues.

They're "all signs of an aging school bus fleet," he said.

Williams said the school district will examine other buses in the fleet if the fire is determined to have been caused by a design flaw.

"If we're having problems (resulting from design flaws), other school districts are as well," he said.

John Ziegler, regional operations manager for First Student, which contracts bus drivers for the district, could not be reached for comment.