Bus carrying Delbarton ice hockey team catches fire in Randolph

RANDOLPH – A portion of Sussex Turnpike was closed after a bus carrying the Delbarton junior varsity ice hockey team caught fire Thursday afternoon, Randolph police said.

Detective Lt. Christopher Giuliani said a private Wilkerson Transportation bus, not a Randolph School District bus, caught fire at about 3 p.m. Thursday afternoon while heading westbound on the roadway. Wilkerson Transportation is based in Morristown.

The bus had a mechanical issue, so the driver pulled over and everyone evacuated the bus, Giuliani said.

Everyone had made it safely off the bus by the time the engine compartment caught fire, eventually spreading and totaling the bus, Giuliani said.

No injuries were reported, Giuliani said.

Sussex Turnpike was closed between Ash Lane and Mount Freedom Avenue at 3:30 p.m. due to the fire but was reopened by 5:15 p.m., Giuliani said.

Additional details weren't immediately available Thursday.