A Nassau County bus used to transport disabled passengers burst into flames minutes after the driver smelled smoke and whisked a customer off the vehicle, officials say.
An Able-Ride paratransit bus was transporting a woman back to her Farmingdale home from a therapy session along with her aide when the driver smelled smoke at about 12:30 p.m., according to the Plainview Fire Department.
The driver, Jean Jeune, stopped the bus on Manetto Hill Road in Plainview and ran to the back of the bus, grabbed the woman out of her wheelchair and carried her to safety outside, the fire department said.
Within 20 minutes, flames had consumed the bus and the wheelchair inside.
No one was hurt, fire officials said. A cause is being investigated.
Able-Ride is the paratransit service of Nassau Inter-County Express.
