Buses catch fire at LAX; cause under investigation
Firefighters quickly extinguished a blaze that burned two empty passenger buses near a rideshare lot at Los Angeles International Airport on Saturday night, temporarily snarling traffic on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
The fire erupted about 9 p.m. and fully engulfed the liquid propane-powered buses near the new “LAXit” rideshare pickup area, Los Angeles fire officials said. The flames also caused some damage to a third bus parked nearby.
It took 25 firefighters less than 20 minutes to fully extinguish the blaze, officials said. There were no injuries reported
The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but officials said “there is no reason to consider it suspicious at this time.”
Rob Pedregon, a Los Angeles Airport Police spokesman, said initial reports indicate the fire’s origin is “probably a mechanical issue.”
The LAXit facility was temporarily closed due to the emergency operations but was partially reopened by 10 p.m., officials said.
Those preparing to exit LAX Airport via Uber/Lyft or taxi are being asked to follow the directions of uniformed LAX staff as they seek to assist those departing the airport.
Traffic around the airport remained snarled late Saturday, but Pedregon said no flights had been impacted by the incident.
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