The bus driving IU Indy men's basketball players and its staff back to Indianapolis on Sunday caught fire and burned down on the side of the interstate in Kent, Indiana, the school said Sunday evening. The team was returning from a road game at Northern Kentucky.
All individuals on the bus were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
"On the return drive from today's game against Northern Kentucky, the bus carrying the IU Indianapolis men's basketball team experienced a mechanical issue, that caused a fire around Kent, Indiana," IU Indy said in a statement. "All members of the team and staff evacuated the bus without injury. Another bus is en route to pick up the team and deliver them back to Indianapolis."
#BREAKING: A bus carrying the IU Indy men’s basketball team caught fire earlier tonight near Kent, Indiana.
— Kyla Russell (@KylaBRussell) February 24, 2025
The team says everyone evacuated and there were no injuries.
Photo credit: Amber Pickett@WISHNews8 #Indianapolis #IUINDY pic.twitter.com/9YfCTfYRmQ
IU Indy athletic director Luke Bosso told Yahoo Sports that a mechanical issue caused the fire, and the quick evacuation led to a considerable loss of personal items including laptops and cell phones.
Fire crews on the scene had to close down one lane of the two-lane interstate to ward off the flames. Video surfaced on social media showed the scary scene as it burned down, with a large plume of black smoke filling the area.
NEW VIDEO: A WLWT view has shared new video of the IU Indy bus that caught fire while returning from a game at Northern Kentucky University on Sunday. Thankfully, no one was injured. https://t.co/E7Zc054mOz pic.twitter.com/3X616THQpX
— WLWT (@WLWT) February 24, 2025
The team arrived back in Indy safely Sunday night.
The incident was just part of a long afternoon for the Jaguars, who earlier in the day fell 71-67 to Northern Kentucky, dropping to 9-20 on the season.
