WESTWOOD, MASS. (WHDH) - It was a close call on the highway for dozens of UMass Lowell students when the bus they were traveling in went up in flames on the way to a performance on Sunday.
Alejandro Bonilla, a senior in the marching band, said there was about 50 students who managed to get off the bus safely before it was consumed by fire in Westwood.
“The first thing was ‘Oh my God are these people going to be OK?’ Because smelling smoke on a bus is never a good sign,” he recalled. “My phone starts blowing up with texts and calls from members of the other bus saying hey, it smells like smok in here, eventually the bus is on fire. We’re all getting off. Everyone is safe, thankfully, but the fire is burning.”
Westwood fire officials say the driver pulled off the highway onto High Street.
The bus was carrying nearly $100,000 in band equipment and fast-moving firefighters manager to save about 90 percent of it, allowing the band to go on and perform, a show of resilience that earned the praise of school officials.
The band’s director told 7NEWS that in his 47-year career, Sunday’s performance was his proudest moment.
One student was checked for smoke inhalation but did not need to be taken to the hospital.
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