Passengers, driver escape after tour bus catches fire on Highway 101

A tour bus fire snarled traffic on Highway 101 through Montecito on Saturday evening, but the driver and passengers escaped without injury.

At 6:40 p.m., Montecito Fire Protection District crews responded to a fire involving the Setra bus on the southbound freeway near the top of Ortega Hill east of Sheffield Drive, according to authorities.

The tour bus driver had noticed something was wrong with the vehicle, pulled to the side and evacuated the approximately 30 passengers.

Firefighters arrived and knocked down the flames in the engine compartment at the rear of the bus within minutes, officials said.

No one was injured in the incident.

The southbound freeway was closed for a time until a heavy-duty tow truck could arrive to haul off the burned bus, which was blocking the right lane. Due to the Highway 101 widening project, the freeway has been narrowed along that stretch to accommodate construction.

The California Highway Patrol and Carpinteria-Summerland firefighters also responded to the incident.

Santa Barbara firefighters helped cover Montecito emergency calls while MFPD personnel were busy at the scene.

One southbound lane reopened at 7:20 p.m. and the other was cleared just before 10 p.m.

The passengers also were reunited with their luggage from the burned bus before continuing their trip on a replacement vehicle.