KNIGHTDALE — Fourteen Wake County public school students were treated for possible burns after a burst hose spewed hot steam inside their school bus this afternoon, according to school officials.
A bus carrying 36 Wendell Middle School students was on Knightdale Boulevard near Interstate 540 shortly before 3 p.m. when students complained about seeing smoke inside the vehicle, according to Mike Charboneau, a Wake schools’ spokesman. Charboneau said the driver pulled the bus over and evacuated the students.
Wake County EMS was called to the scene after 14 students complained of feeling a burning sensation on their feet. Charboneau said EMS checked out the students and determined none of them needed to go to a hospital.
Ten students were sent home on a different bus. The other 26 students were picked up at the scene by their parents.
School officials say the preliminary investigation indicates a hose under the floor of the bus released steam or heat. School officials say the reason why it occurred is under investigation and may be connected to the bus being a “pusher style” model in which the engine is located in the back of the vehicle.
