Students, driver escape as school bus bursts into flames on Cape Cod

By Todd Feathers, Globe Correspondent

No one was injured today when a school bus carrying around 40 students in a Cape Cod town burst into flames.

The bus, owned by First Student Inc., was carrying the students on Route 6 in Bourne around 2:50 p.m. when the driver heard a popping noise from the engine compartment, said Dave Cody, a deputy fire chief in the town.

The driver pulled over to the side of the road and all students aboard were able to evacuate the bus before the engine compartment caught fire, Cody said.

By the time the fire department arrived, the bus was 40 percent engulfed in flames, and the driver and students had already been picked up by another bus, Cody said.

Todd Feathers can be reached at todd.feathers@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ToddFeathers.