Driver OK after double decker tour bus burns in Millbrae

Driver nowhere to be found after double-decker tour bus burns

A double decker tour bus caught fire and completely burned on southbound Highway 101 Wednesday evening, officials said, adding that the driver walked away and has not yet turned up.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - A double decker tour bus caught fire and completely burned on southbound Highway 101 in Millbrae Wednesday evening in a fiery spectacle where the driver was able to walk away unharmed.

The San Francisco Deluxe Sightseeing Tour bus caught on fire about 7:30 p.m. just before Grand Avenue and when California Highway Patrol officers arrived, the bus was fully engulfed in flames.

There were no passengers on board and at first, the driver of the bus could not be located, the CHP said.

Witnesses told officials a male driver could be seen walking away from the bus at the time of the fire.

However, Maneet Sohal, the owner of the bus company, told KTVU on Thursday morning that the driver was OK and ended up walking back to the tow yard about half a mile away.

Sohal didn't immediately have any more details, such as why the driver didn't ask for a ride, or how the fire started.

He planned to go to the tow yard later in the day to find out those answers.

But as for the driver?

"He is completely safe," Sohal said.