HAMPTON TOWNSHIP, Penn. -- Members of Christian rock band Sanctus Real of Toledo and their crew and family members escaped harm when their tour bus caught fire on the road early Sunday morning in western Pennsylvania.
Nine adults and four children were aboard the 1999 Prevost, returning from a show in Maryland, when driver Stephanie Heisinger looked in the mirror around 4 a.m. and saw flames coming out of the rear passenger-side engine compartment.
She pulled the bus over and ran to the back shouting for everybody to get off, then grabbed her phone and dialed 911.
Police arrived in about 10 minutes and firefighters began arriving in 15 to 20 minutes, Ms. Heisinger and band member Chris Rohman said.
One firefighter was injured and the westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike were closed for four hours while firefighters battled the blaze and smouldering wreckage.
The bus was a total loss, but the band’s musical gear was in a separate trailer and undamaged, Mr. Rohman said.
“We’re very thankful for God’s protection because it could have been much worse,” Ms. Heisinger said.
Sanctus Real was founded in Toledo in 1996 and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. The current lineup features original members Mr. Rohman on guitar, singer-guitarist Matt Hammitt, and drummer Mark Graalman, all from the Toledo area, along with bassist Dan Gartley and guitarist Pete Prevost.
-- David Yonke
First Published June 4, 2012, 5:01 p.m.
