North Lake Bus Depot Engulfed In Flames

Explosions shot throughout North Lake on Sunday afternoon. On October 2, 2016, flames took over the Dousman Transport Company. A total of 24 fire departments rushed to the scene to battle the flames. The first to respond was the Merton Company Fire Department at one in the afternoon. By the end of the disaster, a total of 34 buses and the bus barn were burned down. No one was injured.

Jocelyn Krauski, an Arrowhead junior, says, “I saw the smoke coming from the buses from miles away. It was pretty scary because I didn’t know what was going on and when I found out that it was the buses, I went to go see and it was complete chaos. It sucks that someone did that and I’m glad that no one got hurt.”

The company is working with the Waukesha Sheriff’s Department to discover the cause of the fire.

Paige Schaber, an Arrowhead junior says, “I honestly think some student didn’t want to go to school so they set the buses on fire. Things like this hardly happen on accident.”

Krauski says, “I don’t have any clue of what could have happened but I’m really hoping that it wasn’t a student and was accidental.”

The company is also working with its insurance company to determine the cost of the damage. This information has yet to be released and there is so far no indication of when it will be.  

 After the fire was put out, concern turned to replacing the buses. Many school districts depend on the Dousman Transport Company for buses including Arrowhead School Arrowhead Schools, Lake Country School District, North Lake School District and numerous private schools.

According to the company’s website, DTC has 11 bus terminals and transports about 10,000 students to and from school every day. The Dousman Transport Company needed to find new buses for these children in order for school to proceed.   

The Dousman Transport Company used buses from its other terminals and borrowed others from Nelson’s Bus Service and Kobussen Buses in order to continue transporting area school children next day, Monday, October 3.

Laura Myrah, the Arrowhead superintendent sent an email the Arrowhead staff members on October 2 saying, “Amazingly, in the midst of all that catastrophe, DTC management and team managed to round up enough buses that school CAN go on as usual.  There is a chance some co-curricular bus usage during the week may be impacted, bit well learn more about that, and deal with it, if/as it arises.”

Arrowhead also lent a helping hand by offering space for 50 buses. Myrah sent another email saying “…our South Campus student parking lot has been turned into a temporary bus terminal and dispatch center for DTC while the fire inspectors work at their grounds.”

After taking the time to tackle the fire volunteers came together at North Lake school and served lunch to the firefighters.

Madi Geszvain, an Arrowhead junior who volunteered at the lunch, says, “People and stores in the community donated bread and sandwich meat to help make sandwiches and Dominoes donated ten pizzas for the firefighters. Personally, I think it was very successful due to the fact that we got so many people to help out.”

The fire is still under investigation so all there is left to do is wait while the authorities do their job.

Schaber says, “Whatever was the cause of the fire, I’m glad no one got hurt and to see the Dousman Transport Company recover so well.”