Bradford, N.H. — A facility that holds and maintains Kearsarge Regional School District buses exploded into flames Thursday morning, trapping two people inside.
Fire crews from around the region responded to the fire on Route 114 in Bradford that was calledin by multiple people around 10:35 a.m.
“When the first crews arrived, they witnessed heavy fire and smoke pouring from the building before locating two people trapped inside,” State Fire Marshal Sean Toomey reported.
The two trapped employees were working on a propane-powered school bus prior to the explosion and fire. Both suffered significant burns and were initially taken to Concord Hospital before being flown by helicopter to Boston-area hospitals for treatment.
It took hours for crews to douse the flames, and members of the State Fire Marshal’s Office were still on scene investigating the cause late Thursday. Toomey said firefighters struggled with a lack of a nearby water supply and staffing due to the size of fire.
The bus depot stores and repairs the buses used to transport students from seven towns in the Kearsarge School District, including Bradford, Newbury, New London, Sutton, Springfield, Warner, and Wilmot.
Kyla Hamel owns a former cafe across the street that is being converted into a bakery. She said the fire was so intense, little was left of the building after an hour.
“It was completely gone,” Hamel said. “You could start to see the metal frame of the building. There was no roof, no walls.”
Hamel said she knows the mechanics who work on the buses.
“It’s tragic, devastating,” she said. “It breaks my heart to think what those people are going through, especially the ones who are hurt.”
Almost all of the buses were at the facility Thursday because no students were in school due to winter vacation. While the fire was concentrated in the steel-framed maintenance facility, several buses burned as well.
“Administration will be meeting with (Student Transportation of America) to assess the damage to our buses and how/if it will affect the return of school on Monday, March 7.” a notice on the school district’s website stated Thursday.
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Office of the State Fire Marshal at 603-223-4289.