City officials released surveillance videos of the El Paso Sun Metro bus explosion and fire that resulted in the deaths of two employees and injured several others.
The videos were released on Wednesday, Oct. 22, as part of an open records request. The video shows a Sun Metro bus falling from a hydraulic lift about 1 p.m. on Feb. 11 at a maintenance garage at the Sun Metro Operations Center, 10151 Montana Ave., near Wedgewood Drive in East El Paso.
The videos show a massive explosion with employees running away from large plumes of smoke and fire.
A five-minute video from the hydraulic lift area shows two employees working near the back of the bus as the bus slowly starts to fall off the lift. The employees tried to run away from the falling bus, but appeared to be hit by it as it fell on them. A large explosion is seen as the bus hits the floor.
Another angle shows the bus falling off the hydraulic lift, with employees from nearby areas fleeing and diving for cover on the floor to avoid the large flames and debris thrown by the explosion. A woman is seen cleaning the floor when she turns around, sees the bus falling, and runs away as a ball of flames surrounds her. She is seen covering her face with her jacket as she continues to flee. The video ends with the bus on fire, with smoke and debris everywhere.
Other videos show the exterior of the bus station with the explosion causing parts of the roof and walls to collapse.
An El Paso Fire Marshal’s Office report states the explosion was caused after a Sun Metro bus “unintentionally fell off a hydraulic lift” and a punctured compressed natural gas cylinder.
The fire resulted in the deaths of Sun Metro employee Ruben Ibarra and German Garcia. Six other employees were injured in the fire.
El Paso firefighters battled the blaze for hours, finally extinguishing it by 4:40 p.m. About 48 fire units and more than 100 firefighters responded to the fire. The maintenance garage remained an active fire investigation site for days because of “significant hazards remain, including structural instability, hazardous materials, oils, and gases,” city spokesperson Laura Cruz-Acosta said in a February statement.
The fire caused severe damage to the building, causing the roof and walls to collapse.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com or on X/Twitter @AMartinezEPT.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Deadly Sun Metro fire videos show employees running from explosion, flames surround them
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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