On Saturday morning, a tour bus caught fire while parked outside a restaurant on the Ruta 32 (San Jose – Limon), near the Rio Frio de Saripiqui crossing.
None of the passengers was injured since they are all inside the restaurant having breakfast.
According to Edgar Álvarez, of the Guápiles Bomberos (Fire Department), firefighters need the use of two units to extinguish the flames that had engulfed the entire bus, which was declared a total loss.
According to the driver, who preferred not to reveal his identity, when inside the restaurant he heard an explosion similar to that of a tire exploding. Smoke began to come off the engine compartment and the fire spread rapidly. All he could do is watch and call 9-1-1.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. For the moment an engine failure appears to be the cause.
This was not the only incident of the kind during Semana Santa.
According to the Bomberos (Costa Rica Fire Department), between April 15 to 19, they attended to an average a case of a vehicle on fire every 9 hours.
