60 Freeway Tour Bus Fire Kills 1, Injures 1 as 18 Passengers Evacuate

Q: Why was one person trapped in the fatal 60 Freeway tour bus fire while others potentially escaped the burning vehicle?

It is not yet known why one person was unable to get out while others may have escaped. Authorities have confirmed only that one person died after the tour bus caught fire on the eastbound 60 Freeway near Azusa Avenue around 5:38 a.m. Friday. Officials have not identified the victim, have not said whether that person was the driver or a passenger, and have not released a verified passenger count. The available reporting suggests some people may have gotten off the bus before flames fully engulfed it. Video from the scene appeared to show possible passengers standing on the freeway shoulder with luggage, and one report said a second person was taken to a hospital for smoke inhalation. But those details have not been consistently confirmed by all agencies or outlets. What may explain the fatality is the speed and location of the fire. The rear half of the bus was heavily burned, and some reports said the blaze may have started in the engine compartment at the back. In bus fires, rear-origin fires can quickly fill the cabin with smoke and heat, reducing visibility and making movement to exits difficult, especially for anyone seated farther back, asleep, injured, elderly, or slowed by panic. At this stage, any more specific reason would be speculation. Investigators will need to determine where the victim was found, how fast the fire spread, whether exits were usable, and whether smoke or a medical emergency prevented escape.

3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 21

One person was found dead inside the burned Viajes Azteca bus after crews extinguished the fire, and another was hospitalized following the Friday morning blaze in the City of Industry.
Around 5:38 a.m., the driver pulled onto the eastbound 60 Freeway shoulder after a check engine light came on and smoke began rising from the rear, then evacuated 18 passengers before flames engulfed the vehicle.
Several propane tanks and luggage were recovered from the scene, and investigators are examining whether the tanks contributed to the fire.
The bus was headed to Bloomington to pick up more passengers before continuing to Mexico, while the fire shut several lanes near Azusa Avenue and left one lane closed until 10:53 a.m.