The Marathon High School boys and girls soccer teams averted disaster when a bus carrying the squads to a game in Miami went up in flames on the side of Interstate 75 on Dec. 8.
There were no reported injuries.
Speaking with the Weekly via phone that afternoon, both MHS Athletic Director Lance Martin and a parent of one of the athletes said the bus broke down on the side of the interstate after the teams heard a loud noise coming from the engine compartment. Minutes after the teams evacuated, the rear of the bus was engulfed.
Firefighters from Miami-Dade Fire Rescue put out the blaze as the teams waited on the side of the highway for a backup bus before continuing on to their matches at Franklin Academy.
Students aboard the bus told the Weekly that the teams had already stopped once in Key Largo before the breakdown after noticing smoke coming from the engine compartment of the bus. These reports were corroborated by multiple social media comments as news of the blaze spread.
“I was traveling up to Weston today and saw this bus on the 18 (Mile) stretch with a lot of smoke coming out of the engine compartment,” said one commenter. “The driver never once pulled over and actually drove another 40+ miles like that.”
“This looks like the same bus that was stopped in Key Largo near Publix this afternoon that had a bunch of smoke coming out of it,” said another. “Guess the driver decided to keep going.”
