Drivers on Katy Freeway found themselves at a standstill this morning while firefighters battled a blaze on the roadway.
Videos by Rare
As smoke billowed up into the sky, it became clear that something was wrong.
A tour bus shut down the westbound side of the freeway after it caught fire on Friday. The incident occurred in the HOV lane near Westgreen Boulevard.
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Authorities responded to calls about a fire at about 7:00 a.m. and found flames shooting out of the back of the bus.
The bus’s back tires locked up, resulting in a fire.
While initially it was reported that nine people were aboard the bus, Captain Terry Thurman of the Harris County Toll Road Authority’s Incident Management team confirmed that there were thirty-five people aboard the bus when the fire broke out.
About 25-30 people were on this charter bus headed to Mexico when the bus overheated and caught fire. https://t.co/R8BagmlspT #abc13 pic.twitter.com/dvcWsI9Dlz
— ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) July 28, 2017
Luckily, all of the passengers escaped to safety, and no injuries were reported.
Transtar footage of the incident shows the passengers standing along the side of the road holding their luggage.
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The bus, operated by Turimex, was on its way to Monterrey, Mexico.
The fire shut down Katy Freeway during the morning rush hour, causing headaches for drivers who were stuck in the mess.
Authorities are still investigating the official cause of the fire.