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A Wisconsin college wrestling team was traveling home from a meet in Minnesota Saturday (January 7) when their bus exploded into flames.
Shortly before 8 p.m. on Highway 53 near the intersection with Highway 8, the coach bus carrying Milwaukee School of Engineering wrestlers caught on fire. The driver pulled over and everyone on board was able to escape the burning vehicle. However, most of their personal items, including phones and laptops brought on the trip so the wrestlers could study for midterms, burned in the fire.
Highway 53 was shut down for several hours while the scene was cleaned up and investigated. Meanwhile, the team spent a few hours at the Barron County Sheriff's Department "warming up and having some snacks from the jail," according to a Facebook post from the department.
"We are very thankful all of our players and coaching staff were able to safely exit the vehicle and there were no injuries," MSOE Director of Athletics Brian Miller said. "It was a long night for everyone as they waited for a new bus to arrive and bring them back to campus. We thank the Barron County Sherriff’s Department and the area fire departments for their assistance in keeping our student-athletes safe and warm."