Students from St. Margaret’s School had a scare Tuesday afternoon after their school bus became tangled in low-hanging electrical wires.
The 15-passenger school bus was heading south on Beach Drive about 1:35 p.m. when it struck a sagging power line in the 1200 block, near Margate Avenue.
The line was dragged across the back of the bus and pulled the meter box and electrical mast off a nearby home, said Oak Bay assistant fire chief Don Roskelley.
There was some charring on the road and the live wires caused sparks to hit the back passenger side of the bus.
The bus driver and English-as-a-second-language students panicked and got off the bus, which Roskelley said was very dangerous.
“No one was injured, but the fact that the students and driver exited the bus is concerning from a safety perspective,” Roskelley said. “Anybody who is in an incident like this, with power lines over your vehicle, the best way to keep yourself safe is to stay in the vehicle.”
Oak Bay firefighters went to the scene and B.C. Hydro crews were called to repair the downed lines.
Roskelley said it’s unclear why the lines were sagging but said the electrical mast on the house appeared to be corroded.
