Pastor helps rescue people after DDOT bus caught fire

(WJBK) - A DDOT bus caught fire Sunday morning in Southwest Detroit.

Five passengers were on the bus, and all the passengers said they told the driver they could smell smoke.

When the driver called the bus terminal about the smell, he was told to drive to the Rosa Parks Transit Center.

Pastor Ara Koliantz ran out of a church to alert the driver that the front end of the bus was on fire after he heard a small explosion during choir practice at Messiah Church while the bus was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of West Grand Boulevard and Toledo Street.

"I heard a loud boom, so I ran outside. I saw a city bus just kind of rolling down the street. It came to a stop at the corner, there was some smoke coming out of the rear tire well, so I went on to see if they were okay, if they needed anything, as I stepped off the bus I noticed flames coming out the rear tire well, it escalated quickly" Koliantz said

The pastor helped get people off the bus, everyone made it off safely.