TUSD parks 11 buses while fire cause is probed

The Tucson Unified School District has parked buses that were made by the same manufacturer and purchased at the same time as the 5-year-old bus that burned, a decision officials described as erring on the side of caution.

While the Tucson Fire Department has said the fire was caused by an electrical malfunction of an air-conditioner switch, TUSD is also bringing in an independent evaluator from its insurance company to investigate.

“I truly feel this is an issue of an equipment malfunction as opposed to a maintenance oversight,” TUSD Superintendent H.T. Sanchez said. “I am very confident that our maintenance staff takes their job very seriously because they understand that the precious cargo we transport every day are the futures of families as well as the futures of this community.”

No children were on board in the Feb. 10 incident, which happened in downtown Tucson as the driver prepared to pick up children from a school.

The fire was followed by a scare Thursday morning on the south side when a driver smelled smoke and pulled over, evacuating nine children on board, said TFD Capt. Barrett Baker.

The Fire Department responded, as did TUSD officials, but there was no evidence of smoke or fire.

The students were put on another bus and taken to the C.E. Rose Pre-K-8 School, said TUSD spokeswoman Stefanie Boe.

The vehicle in question will receive a thorough check to ensure it is mechanically sound. It was not the same make or model as the one that caught fire.

“It’s possible the driver smelled smoke from something else, but they took the appropriate precautions,” Baker said.