Apr 23, 2015 2 min read

Fifty eighth-grade students from northern Kentucky will have an unusual story to tell about their field trip to the nation’s capital and New York City.

The students from Oldham County Schools, along with four teachers, their principal and bus driver, safely escaped when their tour bus caught fire just after 6 a.m. Thursday on Interstate 70 west between the Taylorstown and Claysville exits in Buffalo Township.

The bus was one of three taking students from Oldham County Middle School back home after the school’s annual trip for eighth-graders to Washington, D.C., and New York City, said Tracy Green, spokeswoman for the school district about 20 miles northeast of Louisville. The buses left New York City Wednesday night.

Green said the bus driver smelled smoke and stopped, immediately evacuating everyone. She said the fire quickly spread and no one was injured.

Both lanes of the highway were closed for about two hours, forcing state police to reroute traffic onto Route 40 at West Chestnut Street. The left lane reopened just before 8 a.m. with all lanes opening about 9:30 a.m.

The other two buses continued to the Claysville rest area. School buses were brought in to transport the stranded riders to the rest area.

“We made sure all the students spoke directly to their parents, especially after the photos started showing up on Twitter,” Green said. “We wanted everyone to have voice contact to mitigate any alarm.”

The students were given breakfast as they waited for another tour bus so they could continue on their trip back home, Green added.

“They were on their way back home about 10:30 a.m.,” Green said Thursday afternoon. “It is about a six-hour trip from there so hopefully they make it back home by dinner.”

Claysville firefighters were assisted at the scene by firefighters from Taylorstown, West Alexander and Canton and North Franklin townships.

The bus is owned by Toby Tours and Travel of Louisville.