Passenger bus catches fire in Rome; 9th this year

May 8 (UPI) — A public transit bus burst into flames in Rome Tuesday with passengers on board — the ninth such fire since the start of the year.

Passengers were able to escape and no one was hurt, officials said. A 25-year-old shop worker in the Via del Tritone vicinity needed medical treatment, though, for a burned arm. Flames blackened the facades of nearby buildings.

The fire appears to have been caused by a short-circuit.

Atac, the company that runs most of Italy’s public transportation, will investigate the blaze. The bus, which was destroyed by the flames, was built in 2003.

Tuesday’s is the ninth bus fire since the start of the year. In 2017, as many as to 20 buses were damaged or destroyed by fire.

More than a third of all Atac buses are in the shop for repairs or maintenance, and 50 percent of the city’s tram fleet.

There have been no injuries in any of this year’s bus fires.