Skip to main content

Cigarette suspected in fire that injured bus stowaway

WASHINGTON — A man stowed in the luggage compartment of a Greyhound bus has life-threatening injuries after a fire on the vehicle Thursday afternoon. The driver of the bus was traveling south on Interstate 95 around 2:30 p.m. when he saw and smelled smoke coming from the cabin. The driver pulled over and exited safely along with 28 passengers. Stafford County Fire and Virginia Police arrived at the scene and found a man in the luggage compartment with life-threatening injuries. He was flown to Washington Hospital Center (MedStar). There were no other injuries. Virginia State Police said Thursday night they believe a lit cigarette likely started the fire. The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office arranged for the passengers to be transported via school bus to a safe location off the interstate. State Police are continuing to investigate the incident, but say the man hopped into the luggage compartment in New York. The bus was headed to Atlanta, but was scheduled to stop in Richmond to switch drivers. Southbound traffic along I-95 in Garrisonville was significantly impacted with all lanes reopening around 7:20 p.m. Thursday.  

 

Amid controversy over memorials, group vows more Confederate battle flags along Va. highways

WASHINGTON — A Virginia group that puts up oversized Confederate battle flags on private property along highways across the state said it plans to install even more of them in response to an effort in Stafford County to get the flags that opponents call racist taken down. “The Va. Flaggers have no plans to remove any of our 26 Roadside Memorial Battle Flags across the Commonwealth, including the Fredericksburg Memorial Battle Flag on I-95 in Stafford County,” the Virginia Flaggers' spokesman Barry Isenhour said in a email statement provided to WTOP. “In fact, in light of the recent attempts by the Governor and a few local politicians to encourage the destruction of Confederate Memorials, we intend to fast track the installation of several new projects in the next few months.”
Read Next Story