BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP: Arson ruled out in bus fire

By Amber Cox
   BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP — Arson has been ruled out as a cause of the overnight fire that occurred at the Bordentown Regional School District’s bus yard May 19.
   The cause of the fire is still unknown but it was not criminal in nature, according to township police.
   The Bordentown Township Police Department was notified of the fire by a motorist who was passing by the school around 3:30 a.m. When police arrived several buses were fully engulfed in flames.
   Fire personnel from Derby and Mission companies in Bordentown Township, Crosswicks, Florence, Mansfield, Hope Hose and Bordentown EMS all responded to help extinguish the fire.
   Three 54-passenger buses and eight vans were damage or destroyed as a result of the fire.
   All schools in the district were closed Thursday except for the high school, which opened late with no transportation. All schools were open Friday.
   Superintendent Constance Bauer said that she is “grateful that no damage was sustained to the school district building and most importantly that no one was injured.”
   ”It is with extreme appreciation that police and fire emergency responders are thanked, and the response of district personnel has been extraordinary,” she said.
   The fire remains under investigation by police and NEFCO Fire Investigations, which has been hired by the school district’s insurance company.