A charter bus carrying the Mil-bank High School track team caught fire Thursday morning on Interstate 90 about a quarter-mile east of Mitchell.
No one was injured in the fire, which started around 11:20 a.m.
The Mitchell Fire Division re-sponded and knocked the fire down. The 1994 motor coach, owned by Defea Transportation, of Milbank, was halted on the eastbound side of I-90 while fire crews worked to extinguish the fire.
Traffic was snarled in both di-rections as I-90 was temporarily closed while fire crews dealt with the fire. Adding to the problem, the westbound lanes are under construction, so traffic was run-ning both ways on the eastbound side.
The on-ramp at Exist 332 was clogged with traffic backed up in both directions and into the city. Police officers had to direct traffic at the intersection of Burr and Havens because of the long, snaking line of vehicles.
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All lanes were open by 12:30 p.m.
The bus caught fire shortly after 11 a.m., according to the students. One of the track athletes spotted fire coming up through the floor, he said, and the bus pulled over and the students and other passengers got out.
Milbank High School Principal Dan Snaza said there were 19 students aboard the bus, along with five coaches and a driver. All were unhurt, Snaza said.
"They're spotless," he said.
Mitchell Fire Division Capt. Steve Nedved said an engine compartment fire was to blame for the blaze.
Nedved said the Fire Division received the first call at 11:20 a.m. and fire crews were on the scene at 11:27 a.m. The fire was extinguished in about 20 minutes, he said, and the firefighters left at 12:29 p.m. The van was towed into Mitchell.
The Milbank High School track team was headed to the State A track meet in the Black Hills. The meet starts today in Spearfish; the second day of the meet is in Rapid City.
The team caught a ride on a bus into Mitchell, where an impromptu practice was held at Joe Quintal Field, according to Mitchell Superintendent Joe Graves. The team was offered laundry services in case clothing or uniforms were impacted by the smoke, Graves said, but the offer was declined.
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He said there is a cooperative agreement among almost all school districts in the state. If a district in the cooperative needs a bus, it gets help from the nearest school district at no charge, Graves said.
"They would do the same thing for us," he said.
Company owner Pat Defea drove another Defea Transportation bus to Mitchell to pick up the team. By 3:30 p.m., the team was back on the road and headed to Spearfish.
Snaza said Defea provides all the district's transportation and has a solid safety and inspection record.
"It's just one of those things that happens when you deal with mechanical things," he said.
Lt. John Broers of the South Dakota Highway Patrol's Motor Carrier Services division said Defea has no citations on its record. Broers said buses have to be inspected annually by a mechanic and Highway Patrol troopers check inspection records, usually at a destination point or in a terminal inspection at the company's base of operations.
He said Defea has never been inspected by the Highway Patrol but must have its records with the vehicle at all times in case a trooper demands them. Broers said there is an increased focus on inspecting charter companies.
Pat Defea said this was the worst incident in the company's history. He provides transporta-tion to both the Milbank and Grant-Deuel school districts and had the motor coach available for longer trips or special excursions.
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The vehicle, which was parked at the I-90 Travel Plaza, looks all right, Defea said, but he fears the fire damage, apparently caused by electrical problems, will mean it is totaled.
