Jitney Catches on Fire During Blizzard

Around midnight Monday morning, a in Manhattan with no passengers onboard caught fire, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.

Carly Shephard, the marketing and public relations manager for Hampton Jitney, said the bus had just completed a trip to New York City and the driver was preparing to deadhead back to Southampton when it caught fire.

The website Gothamist posted photos of the burned-out bus on Monday.

"It seems that the fire itself was started in the tire," Shephard said. "We're unsure of the cause of the fire at this time."

Albert Whitby, co-owner of in Southampton Village, said Wednesday that in his 40 years in the tire business, he's never heard of a tire catching on fire.

"Maybe the tire was totally flat and they drove on it, or maybe it was chaffing on something on the inside," he said. 

Shephard said the bus driver was unable to extinguish the flames and the fire department was delayed because of the blizzard. Firefighters eventually put the fire out, but only after the flames spread, destroying windows and causing other damage. There were no injuries and the fire did not damage any other property, she said.

The Jitney's insurance company will determine if the bus is totaled, Shephard added.