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WILLISTON, Vt. — Four electric school buses were destroyed in a fire late Wednesday night at Allen Brook School in Williston, causing an estimated $2 million in damages to the vehicles and their charging stations.
The Williston Fire Department responded around 10:20 p.m. after custodial staff reported the blaze. Approximately 11 firefighters arrived quickly—within three minutes of dispatch—and extinguished the flames in about five minutes, preventing any spread to nearby buildings or other vehicles. No injuries were reported, as the buses were unoccupied at the time.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Vermont Division of Public Safety Fire Investigation Unit. In response to the incident, the Champlain Valley School District has suspended operation of its remaining two electric school buses until the cause is determined. As a result, Allen Brook School and Williston Central School were closed on Thursday while officials assess the situation.
This marks the latest in a series of school bus fire incidents in the Williston area in recent months. In February 2026, a separate school bus (not confirmed as electric) caught fire while being transported on a flatbed trailer at the Williston rest area off Interstate 89. That empty bus was declared a total loss after the blaze started in the engine compartment, though the towing truck and trailer sustained only minor damage.
Local news outlets including MyNBC5, WCAX, and ABC22/FOX44 have covered the Wednesday night fire, highlighting the rapid response and significant financial impact on the district. Authorities urge anyone with information to contact the fire investigation team, and the school district has directed questions about operational effects to their administration.
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Categories: Education, Transportation
Where were the protestors against bus fires? Where were the anti electric bus/ pro save the planet protestors?
Dan, please explain the second sentence.
I don’t know, I guess that there are two sides to every protest. For or against, whatever the cause may be. Probably could have been worded differently.
What does the Williston brain trust think about their decision to go green now ????
When virtue signaling becomes legislation…..
How you get a return on an investment of junk bases, accidently burn them 🤔
School doesn’t care enough to do that because they didn’t buy them, you and i did.
$2 million more literally up in flames. How was the environmental impact of that? H
If the cause was found to be the batteries, that calls for a serious recall. They transport our children an cost a half million each.
I’ll be interested in hearing the cause of this fire. I’ve seen so many spontaneous electric vehicle fires as well as electric bikes and scooters igniting. Might not be a good idea to store them inside or charge them indoors.
Are
Are these the same busses that were taken out of service due to battery concerns and that they couldn’t be charged below 40 degrees ?
No, those were on buses purchased by the CCTA…city buses, not school buses. It’s likely the same hazard issue though. With the CCTA, they were told that the buses had to be at about 40 degrees F or higher to charge them, but bringing them indoors on cold nights to charge risks the whole bus barn going up in case of a fire. So, basically they are useless anywhere it gets less than 40F. It is a steep price to pay for some green virtue signaling. Kamala is probably still ok with them though.
They will eventually get to the point where you won’t be able to ensure an EV vehicle. They are dangerous and very toxic. When one catches on fire everything around it catches on fire. Insurance companies are going to get sick of paying out huge claims. This is why President Donald Trump stopped the green initiative being forced upon the country!
Lithium battery recycling is already an issue. I was at the Richmond drop-off center to leave a battery from a Dyson vacuum. It was greater than 18V, so they wanted $20 to drop it off!
These were probably bought through incentives and grants, right? When the insurance companies pay for the damaged busses, do the grants and incentives get paid back to the grantors?
Dan, you make a funny joke about grants and incentives being paid back. Now that you brought that up, who does the insurance companies pay????????/???