20 percent of bus fleet affected by fire

GAINESVILLE - Gainesville school officials say 20 percent of the their bus fleet was either destroyed or damaged by Friday morning's fire.

Eight buses were destroyed by the pre-dawn blaze and one was heavily damaged.

The state fire marshal's office has been asked to help with the investigation into the cause of an early morning fire that destroyed eight Gainesville school buses.

Gainesville Fire Chief Jon Canada said "we are looking at all angles" when asked at a news conference Friday morning if the fire was the work of an arsonist.

Canada said 911 operators received "several calls" reporting the fire around 4:30 this morning. He said in addition to the eight buses that were destroyed by the flames, another was severely damaged.

Chief Canada said the buses were in a parking lot at the bus shop and that the building, itself, was not damaged.

School Supt. Merriane Dyer announced shortly after arriving at the scene before daybreak that no buses will run today. She asked that parents, if possible, take their children to school and pick them up this afternoon. However, she said any absences today will be excused.

School officials emphasized that schools would be open and they were planning for "as normal as possible" a school day. It is the last day of school and an early release day. Gainesville High School graduation will be held as planned tonight.

School board member Willie Mitchell, who dropped one of his grandchildren off at nearby Gainesville Middle School, told accessnorthga.com he wonders if there will be time to replace the buses before the start of the new school year in August.