Brakes to blame for Paradise school bus fire, Service NL says

The Newfoundland and Labradorgovernment says a faulty brake pad is to blame for causing an elementary school bus to catch fire last Wednesday in Paradise.

The fire happened on St. Thomas Line on Sept. 21 and, according to Service NL, occurred when a piece of brake pad material became "lodged between the brake caliper and the rotor causing friction and heat."

In an email to CBC News, Service NL said the driver used an extinguisher to contain the fire before St. John's Regional Fire Department crews arrived on the scene.

Children were then moved to another bus that dropped them off at their regular stops.

According to Service NL, school buses in the provinces must be inspected twice annually, with highway enforcement officers inspecting all registered school buses in the fall. Follow-up inspections are then done on 30 per cent of the fleet in the spring.

Service NL said the bus in question has been taken out of service while the necessary repairs are made.

According to government, the owner will need to provide proof of repairs and the bus will have to undergo an inspection before the bus is given the go-ahead to go back on the road.

That inspection is expected to happen some time this week, the department said.