Students injured when bus radiator hose bursts

Nine Lake Arrowhead area junior high school students were injured Monday when a radiator hose on their school bus burst and spewed hot liquid and fumes inside the cabin, the California Highway Patrol said.

All the injuries appeared to be minor, with the worst being some burns to the legs of a few students, said Officer Alton Gunnoe, the lead investigator. The remainder of those transported to hospitals complained of respiratory problems, he said.

The incident occurred while the bus was driving on California Highway 18 near the old Santa’s Village about 8:45 a.m., heading to Mary Putnam Henck Intermediate School in Lake Arrowhead, Gunnoe said.

Hot fluid sprayed the legs of some students after some sort of mechanical failure at the rear of the bus. Investigators are trying to determine what type of fluid escaped from the 1994 Thomas bus.

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-- Phil Willon