Chain-reaction collision ignites compressed natural gas tank

Calgary firefighters are shocked by the events of Thursday’s crash that involved multiple vehicles and two transit vehicles, one of which was engulfed in flames.

“Many of us in the industry are struck with disbelief — this is not something any of us have seen before,” said longtime Calgary Fire Department staffer Alex Kwan.

The collision, which killed three people and injured 16 others, left multiple battered vehicles, a bus driver trapped inside the vehicle’s cabin, and many other people with injuries. Meanwhile, a second bus was on fire, emitting heavy smoke.

“Recognizing the complexity and severity of the incident, firefighters immediately stretched hose lines and began knocking down the fire while requesting additional resources,” Alex Kwan, public information officer at the agency, wrote in a statement. “A mass casualty incident was subsequently declared.”

Even as police and emergency services were retrieving patients, the firefighters continued to douse the blaze.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:10 p.m., when a City of Calgary transit bus was travelling northbound in the 800 block of Saddletowne Circle N.E., nearing the intersection of 80th Avenue N.E.

Police say the bus crashed into a truck, which slipped into an adjacent lane and scraped against an SUV before striking the rear of a box truck. Meanwhile, the bus continued on, hitting the back of a sedan and dragging it through the intersection.

The sedan collided with another truck, and both eventually came to a stop. The bus, however, continued north and hit the back of another transit bus, pushing the vehicle until the latter crashed into a sedan.

The collision ignited the natural gas tanks on the second bus, which burst into flames inside the vehicle. The people who died aboard that bus have been identified and their families notified, according to police.

Kwan said CFD officers later worked with the agency’s specialists to ensure the compressed natural gas had been safely vented to remove any further risk to the public.

Police said the driver of the second bus was able to get out of the vehicle, while the driver of the first bus was taken to hospital with life-altering injuries. Other drivers involved in the crash were either uninjured or suffered minor injuries. In all, 16 people — including a police officer who reportedly rushed into the burning bus to rescue a child — were injured in the crash.

“It is too early to determine whether impairment, speed or distraction contributed to the collision,” Calgary police said in a statement. “All possible factors remain under investigation.”

On Thursday, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 583 president Mike Mahar also said he had never before heard of such an incident.

“It’s shocking, the level of tragedy . . . I don’t recall a bus burning like that,” he said

“We’re very concerned for our operators and the families affected by this.”

The bus that caught fire was powered by compressed natural gas. It’s one of 347 CNG buses in the city’s fleet, according to Calgary Transit.

The transit agency said its staff will work closely with investigators to “understand the circumstances surrounding the incident, and will conduct a review of our CNG operations to ensure any additional safety measures required are put in place.”

Mayor Jeromy Farkas committed to a full investigation into the incident on Thursday before shifting his focus to the families of the victims.

“On behalf of the City of Calgary, I want to extend my deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those who died,” Farkas said. “To those who have been injured, we’re thinking of you and hoping for your recovery.”

Sean Stamboltas, who lives near the crash scene, said he was walking to work when he saw smoke from the crash.

“It was a little bit of chaos,” he said. “When I arrived, vehicles were backing up down the street and police were just showing up to close the road.”

— With files from Devon Dekuyper and Daniel Gonzalez

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