BREAKING: Two traveling home survive bus fire

By MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ
Managing Editor
editor@sbnewspaper.com

A bus driven by a Mission man and carrying his nephew caught fire early Sunday morning while traveling on Expressway 83 in San Benito.

Samuel Martinez, 50, and his nephew Jose Aguilar, 18, said they were traveling from South Padre Island at approximately 3 a.m. on May 20 when the driver, Martinez, noticed smoke coming from inside the vehicle.

“I was just driving and could see that there was a lot of smoke inside,” said Martinez, who police identified as the manager of his nephew’s DJ equipment.

The two were apparently returning from a gig that night.

Aguilar, who works as the DJ, said, “It (bus) just got full of smoke.”

Martinez, who quickly pulled the bus over to the side of the road to wait for help, added that he didn’t know where the smoke was coming from.

“I just wanted to get out of the way (of traffic),” Martinez said.

The two stopped the bus on the shoulder of the expressway in the vicinity of McCullough Street in San Benito.

Upon arrival, San Benito firefighters and police officers found the bus fully engulfed in flames but with Martinez and Aguilar safely out of harm’s way.

Firefighters were then able to extinguish the blaze within minutes, according to Martinez.

No injuries were reported.

To see this story in print, pick up a copy of the May 23 edition of the San Benito News, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.