Minibus catches fire but driver saves the day

Quick action by a minibus driver averted disaster after his vehicle caught fire on a routine trip to Oistins, Christ Church towards the end of the evening rush hour on Monday evening.

Wayne Jordan, the driver of B318, was transporting 15 passengers from Speightstown when he noticed flames coming from the rear tyre of the vehicle around 6:24 pm.

He immediately stopped the vehicle just outside the Hastings/Worthing Police Station, hurried passengers to safety and then rushed to save the vehicle.

Firefighters quickly brought the fire under control.

Jordan said: “When I turned by the Garrison, I just saw the fire. So I just stopped the van and tell the people to get out quick and I try to out it. It is just that the brake lines just break and the brake fluid cause the problem. There were no injuries.”

The driver who said he was not afraid but more concerned about the safety of his passengers was happy they quickly cooperated.

The vehicle suffered minor damage, Jordan said, noting that the fire was difficult to extinguish without the help of four Barbados Fire Service firefighters.

“I used a whole fire extinguisher and it still won’t out,” said Jordan. “So the fire truck had to come and finish out it.”

Acting Leading Fire Officer Gregory Clarke and his team quickly took control of the situation.

“When we arrived on the scene, we saw one minibus with smoke coming from the outside rear tyre, we quickly brought the fire under control and there was no major damage to the vehicle and no one was injured, “ he told reporters at the scene.

Clarke said he is counting his blessings despite the damage.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “The hardest thing is that nobody got hurt and that was the hardest thing, otherwise it is a setback but we got life.” (SD)