A class of school children on a school trip had to be evacuated from their bus after it caught fire.
The bus caught fire on the A169 in the middle of the North Yorkshire Moors at approximately 5pm on 12th July. The incident occurred nearby to a RAF Flyingdales - a ballistic missile radar base - who rescued the 31 children and teachers aboard the bus, and extinguished the fire.
It was revealed afterwards that the fire was caused by a pump failure that leaked diesel into the engine compartment that then swiftly caught fire.
RAF Flyingdales’ Fire Crew Watch Manager Baz Gargedt said the crew was “relieved to be able to get to the fire to help all those children”. He said they acted “swiftly and calmly” as always.
Later on, fire crews from Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay arrived at the scene and resumed control, letting the RAF crew return to their mission of protecting the radar site.
