Bus Fire on US 26

A bus carrying the Central Catholic junior varsity football team to a game in Hillsboro, caught fire while heading west on U.S. 26 just beyond the Vista Ridge tunnel on Thursday afternoon.

(Randy L. Rasmussen/The Oregonian)

Investigators have traced the cause of a charter bus fire Thursday afternoon near downtown Portland to a battery malfunction.

Determined to be unintentional, the fire in a Blue Star bus filled with nearly 50 members of the Central Catholic High School junior varsity football team began in the engine compartment, said Firefighter Tommy Schroeder, a Portland Fire & Rescue spokesperson.

The blaze along Highway 26 near the Southwest Jefferson Street on-ramp snarled rush hour traffic for hours and caused students aboard to evacuate. No one was injured.



The bus driver and passersby called 911 shortly before 5 p.m. to report flames coming from beneath the bus.

Engulfed by the time firefighters arrived, the burning bus was soon extinguished, said Lt. Rich Chatman, another spokesperson.

The team was heading to Hillsboro for a game against Eugene's Sheldon High School. The game was postponed.

For more details, see our earlier post about the bus fire here.

-- Kimberly A.C. Wilson