Detroit Mayor Honors D-DOT Drivers Who Saved Buses From Fire
DETROIT (WWJ) - Mayor Dave Bing honored a group of bus drivers Wednesday morning for their help in reducing damage during a fire at a DDOT terminal last week.
More than a dozen bus drivers helped try to put out the flames and drove 11 buses through smoke and out of harm's way at D-DOT's Coolidge bus yard on Schaefer, near Schoolcraft.
"Your swift and selfless actions to save buses for the City of Detroit without reguard for your safety is commendable and I personally thank all of you very much," Bing said to the applauding crowd.
Eight buses that were lost, costing a total of more than $3 million, and the terminal's roof collapsed in the fire.
"Losing eight buses to the fire is hard enough. But had it not been for the heroic efforts of these 15 dedicated employees, more buses would have been lost in the fire and more pressure would have been placed on our already-stressed bus system," said Bing.
One firefighter suffered minor injuries while trying to extingish the blaze. No D-DOT employees were injured.
Investigators say a mechanical issue may be to blame. An arson investigator said the fire appears to have started underneath one bus and spread to the others.
View photos from the ceremony: