# Transit bus fire in Seattle



## CHamilton (Jan 11, 2013)

This is local news, but some of the bus experts here may be interested.



> Bus fire on I-5 creates 10 mile backup
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> ...


Seattle Transit Blog adds:



> It looks to be one of the new-ish DE60LFs that have been coming in.


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## CHamilton (Jan 11, 2013)

The aftermath, as posted to Facebook. This bus is owned by Community Transit of Snohomish County and operated for Sound Transit by CT. (Photo by Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times)


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## CHamilton (Jan 11, 2013)

> Transit bus burns on Interstate 5 in SeattleSEATTLE —
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> Sound Transit says Friday's frigid temperatures and frozen water in a brake line could be to blame for a bus fire on Interstate 5 in north Seattle.
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> ...


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## Swadian Hardcore (Jan 11, 2013)

At least nobody died, but that is sure an very expensive bus! It's a New Flyer DE60LFR. I saw those around Seattle. They have the older DE60LFs, too. It's a Diesel-Electric 60' Low Floor Restyled. Maybe it's the "Electric" part that's the problem.


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## Trogdor (Jan 12, 2013)

Or maybe it's the frozen water in a brake line that's the problem.


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## CHamilton (Jan 12, 2013)

> State Patrol detectives found the fire was mechanical. Atchison said friction from a locked brake likely sparked the fire, but Sound Transit will officially determine the nature of the mechanical failure.
> "It could be any number of things — for example, it's possible moisture in the brake lines could have caused the brakes to freeze, which would have caused enough friction between the brake pad and brake drum to create the conditions that led to the fire," Reason wrote in an email.


http://seattletimes....busfire12m.html


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## AmtrakBlue (Jan 12, 2013)

Trogdor said:


> Or maybe it's the frozen water in a brake line that's the problem.


Couldn't have said it better myself. And I had thought about saying it.


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## fairviewroad (Jan 18, 2013)

OK, so the obvious thing to point out is that buses operate in sub-freezing temperatures all the time without

bursting into flames during rush hour. If moisture in the brake line caused the brake to lock up and start a fire,

then the root of the problem would seem to be whatever allowed the moisture to enter the brake line in the first

place. I.E. some sort of tear, or a compromised seal, or whatever (I'm not a bus mechanic, obviously.)


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## Swadian Hardcore (Jan 18, 2013)

Trogdor said:


> Or maybe it's the frozen water in a brake line that's the problem.


Maybe, it depends on what brakes that bus has.


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## Trogdor (Jan 18, 2013)

Swadian Hardcore said:


> Trogdor said:
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> 
> > Or maybe it's the frozen water in a brake line that's the problem.
> ...


Why does it depend?

If you'd read the article, the cause was pretty much already determined.


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## Swadian Hardcore (Jan 19, 2013)

Trogdor said:


> Swadian Hardcore said:
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> > Trogdor said:
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Then why does it say "could have"? And these new buses shouldn't just be catching on fire like G4500s.


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