Bus fire briefly strands Kansas basketball team in Nebraska

HOLDREGE, Neb. (AP) — A bus carrying a Kansas college basketball team caught fire Saturday, leaving players and staff briefly stranded in a central Nebraska town.

The Newman University men’s basketball team from Wichita was heading from Kearney, Nebraska, to Hays, Kansas when the fire occurred, according to the Holdrege Daily Citizen.

The bus was carrying 15 basketball players, three coaches and an athletic trainer. No one was injured. Holdrege volunteer firefighters received the call at around 1:40 p.m. Saturday.

Head Coach R.J. Allen said the only personal items lost in the fire were phone chargers, pillows and blankets. Allen said the team was headed to a practice before a game against Fort Hays State University.

The bus was a total loss. Holdrege Fire Chief Dallas Roemmich said the cause of the fire is still under investigation.