Metro bus catches fire along I-5

TUKWILA, Wash. — Flames forced a King County Metro bus driver to abandon his bus on the side of the freeway in Tukwila.

The bus was traveling on northbound I-5 approaching Boeing Field about 1 a.m. when a driver pulled up alongside the burning bus and got the driver’s attention to pull over.

The bus pulled to the shoulder at the Martin Luther King exit and the driver got out. No passengers were on board.

Tukwila firefighters responded, but there isn't a fire hydrant nearby, and their truck ran out of water. Firefighters from Boeing Field also responded and eventually got the flames put out.

The back half of the articulated bus was scorched and the rear wheels were damaged. Workers had to replace the tires so they could tow the bus away.  The bus was removed at about 4:50 a.m.

The cause of the fire on the diesel-hybrid bus will be investigated.

Cox Media Group