An unoccupied bus, disabled and under tow, burst into flames on the Long Island Expressway Tuesday evening, snarling traffic as Plainview firefighters put down the inferno.
and other first responders assisted the in extingishing a fully involved bus fire just after 10 p.m. on the eastbound LIE at Sunnyside Boulevard in Plainview.
At the time, the electric powered bus was disabled and being towed. The tow truck operator noticed the fire in his window and contacted authorities.
The tow truck driver was taken to Nassau University Medical Center to be treated for smoke inhalation, firefighters said. One Plainview firefighter sustained a minor injury as was treated at the scene.
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The bus is owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and was bearing New York City insignias.
Firefighters used streams of firefighting foam to extinguish the stubborn fire. The eastbound lanes of the LIE and the ramps at exit 46 were closed for several hours in the vicinity of the fire, authorities reported.
Firefighters were under the command of Chief of Department
Port Washington firefighters were returning from training at Bethpage-based Nassau County Fire Service Academy when they encountered the fire on the LIE, according to the PWFD website.
The website also includes this statement: "The PWFD is proud to have been able to assist our brothers and sisters from the Plainview Fire Department."
