Pre-dawn school bus fire, 'unusual'

GAINESVILLE - State Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine is not saying the fiery destruction of eight Gainesville school buses early Friday morning is arson or even suspicious, but it is unusual.
A ninth bus parked at the bus shop on Woods Mill Road was heavily damaged.
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Oxendine spoke with Fire Chief Jon Canada and School Superintendent Dr. Merrianne Dyer.
He said he was not prepared to announce a cause yet, the investigation continues, there is on location surveillance tape to look along with other evidence.

"It is unusual, it happened to be the last day of school, but we need to gather some more evidence," Oxendine said.

Oxendine called on the public to help in the investigation, asking possible witnesses to step forward.

"Anybody who has seen or heard anything, even a rumor," he said. "It might not be enough to tell us who did something, but it might help to point us in the right direction to gather more evidence."

Oxendine stressed he was not calling the bus fire an arson, but did say his office offers a $10,000 reward for information that leads to a conviction if the investigation reveals the fire was set.

School Superintendent Dr. Merrianne Dyer said 20 percent of the system's bus fleet was destroyed or damaged.
A passing garbage truck driver reported the fire around 4:30 a.m.
"The first thing to do is complete the investigation," she said. "Our insurance agent has been here but we have to have the results of the investigation to know the extent of damage."

Dr. Dyer said around 85 percent of the system's students showed up for school even though the buses were grounded for inspection.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2009/5/220588