A BUS carrying students from BAE Systems burst into flames on the A590.
The coach, owned by The Travellers Choice, was travelling down the A590 near Backbarrow when the driver noticed smoke coming from the rear of the coach.
The Travellers Choice manager Jackie Shaw said: “The coach was returning passengers back from Blackpool when the incident occurred just before the Backbarrow junction on the A590.
“The driver noticed smoke coming from the rear of the coach and immediately pulled over.
“The driver made sure that the four passengers safely disembarked the coach and then phoned the emergency services.
“Another coach in the vicinity collected the passengers and returned them back to Barrow in Furness.
“Most importantly no-one was injured, and the cause is under investigation.
“We would like to thank the emergency service teams for all their assistance.”
On the bus were students who work at BAE returning from Blackpool College.
One of those students Jamie Dunstan, a calibration technician, described how the coach “started shaking like mad” when travelling on the dual carriageway.
When the coach pulled over, Jamie assumed that it had simply broken down.
“Someone said, ‘look behind you’ and the windscreen was covered in smoke,” said Jamie.
“We made our way off and it started smoking a little bit more and then we walked a little bit further down the road and started seeing the flames.
“Within a few minutes it was really going.”
Cumbria Police arrived on scene to help with controlling traffic on the roads as crews from Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service tackled the blaze.
A Cumbria Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “At 5.21pm on March 7, 2023, three fire engines including the water bowser attended a vehicle fire at Backbarrow.
“The fire involved a coach.
“Fire service used two breathing apparatus and a compressed air foam system to extinguish the fire. Crews were detained several hours.”
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