Last Friday, on their way to a game in the Chicago area, the charter bus for Sioux City Explorers caught fire transporting the team from Iowa. Members of the team made it off the bus safely, but several lost their gloves when the overhead bins melted.
The fire began as the bus approached the town of Earlham, Iowa, about one-third of the way into its drive to Geneva, Illinois. Earlham Fire & Rescue blamed a mechanical issue on the bus, which sparked the flames, rapidly spreading from the engine to the passenger area. Most of the players were sound asleep when the fire started.
“I was woken up to guys walking past me saying, Hey, we’ve got to get off the bus. There’s smoke back here,” said J.D. Scholten, a 44-year-old pitcher who also serves in the Iowa Legislature. Scholten was the original source who posted the news to his X account.
Flames destroyed the bus’s windows, and firefighters responded around 2:45 a.m. to quickly extinguish the blaze, per volunteer firefighter Blake Boyle. The bus driver also realized something was off as he had pulled off the interstate and was heading toward town on a smaller highway. The bus left a trail of oil. Volunteer firefighter Boyle said, “It was probably all over the motor. Once they stopped it, it caught fire.”
Fortunately, another charter bus was able to pick up the team, and they arrived at their hotel around 11 a.m., about three hours later than expected. Batting practice was canceled, but they proceeded with the game against the Kane County Cougars on Friday. Both teams are members of the American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent league.
Photo Credit: Sioux City Explorers Logo
