One of the buses that caught on fire Jan. 21 at the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative bus garage at 2045 Boston Rd.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
WILBRAHAM — A fire broke out at the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative Bus Garage at 2045 Boston Rd. on Jan. 21. The fire, reported by a passerby at 1:37 a.m., involved four electric buses housed at the site.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, although it “does not appear suspicious,” Wilbraham Fire Chief Michael Andrews said in a press release. As is standard procedure, the Massachusetts State Police Fire Investigation Unit is handling the investigation. Andrews said there were no injuries associated with the fire and the crews were able to extinguish it within 45 minutes. However, firefighters continued to put out hot spots for an additional two hours. What were once bright yellow school buses are now charred husks filled with the warped metal remains of seats.
In a letter sent to district families and staff, Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District Superintendent John Provost said, “I have received assurances from the bus company that no buses of this type will be put into service in our communities until more is known about the potential causes of this fire and compliance with the applicable safety standards is verified.” He thanked firefighters for responding and ensuring the safety of everyone.
There was a two-hour school delay that day for the Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District and Ludlow Public Schools that day. Ludlow Public Schools sent a letter to its community citing the fire as the reason for its delay. Despite messages posted to the Facebook pages of the Wilbraham Fire Department and Green Meadows School in Hampden indicating otherwise, Provost’s office stated that the delay for HWRSD was not related to the fire as the buses were fresh from the dealership and had not yet been placed in service.
HWRSD has been experiencing bus delays since the start of the school year. At the Jan. 9 School Committee, LPVEC President Alvin Morton apologized for the issue and said it was due to a shortage of drivers, exacerbated by the district’s route structure meant drivers averaged just 29 hours per week. The School Committee voted to adjust the structure beginning with the 2025-26 school year. In the meantime, the collaborative has undertaken a recruitment drive to ease the shortage.
The fire occurred on one of the coldest nights this winter, with temperatures around 0 degrees. Firefighters responded from East Longmeadow, Ludlow and Palmer to help allow crews to rotate out of the cold, while maintaining a constant effort against the blaze. Andrews said a rehab unit from the Department of Fire Services was requested to provide firefighters with a warm space to get out of the elements.
In addition, Andrews said vehicle fires are particularly challenging to fight. “Not only are we dealing with the car itself but also flammable liquids and other components of the vehicle that can be hazardous, such as burning plastics and upholstery, which release toxic gases when they burn.”
Andrews explained that, as electric vehicles, the buses have large batteries with several individual cells. “The batteries store a lot of energy, which can produce extreme heat and, if involved in the fire, take a long time to cool. They are usually encased, which makes it difficult to extinguish them. Firefighters need to use more water to cool the components rather than being able to directly extinguish them. If batteries have been damaged, firefighters need to be aware of potential explosion hazards and off-gassing of hazardous chemicals due to an event called thermal runaway.”
Reminder Publishing reached out to LPVEC for comment but did not hear back as of press time.
