I-290 blaze destroys school bus

A school bus driver pulled his bus over on I-290 after the engine started smoking Thursday night, and a short time later the bus erupted in flames.

The inferno caused traffic delays, according to authorities.

Police said the driver had picked the bus up from a repair shop and was returning it to the bus yard when it began smoking at about 8:22 p.m. on I-290 near Illinois Route 64.

An Illinois State Police official said once the driver pulled the bus over and got out, the flames quickly spread and engulfed the vehicle.

Police said a number of fire units responded to the blaze and the eastbound traffic of I-290 was limited to one lane for about 20 minutes.

The driver was the only person on the bus at the time and was not injured, officials said.

Police said the bus was destroyed by the fire.