In Sioux City, Iowa, a bus carrying the Sioux City Explorers, a professional baseball team, to a game in Illinois caught fire early Friday. Fortunately, all team members safely evacuated the charter bus, which was engulfed by flames due to a mechanical issue that started in the engine and quickly spread to the passenger area. State Rep. J.D. Scholten, a pitcher for the team, mentioned in a Facebook post that he was asleep when the bus stopped, and teammates alerted everyone to evacuate, expressing gratitude that no injuries occurred.
Emergency responders, including the Earlham Fire & Rescue, arrived at the scene around 2:45 a.m., swiftly extinguishing the blaze. Sadly, the bus was deemed a total loss, causing a disruption in traffic for approximately three hours. Despite the setback, another charter bus was promptly arranged to transport the team to their game, with the fire department concluding their Facebook post with encouraging words, “Good luck X’s!!”
The Sioux City Explorers, a part of the American Association of Professional Baseball, were en route to face the Kane County Cougars in Geneva, Illinois for an away game scheduled later on Friday. The team managed to continue their journey and arrive at the game on time, despite the unexpected and challenging circumstances that morning.
