Fifteen school buses were destroyed as they sat dormant in a parking lot in Bradford, N.H. early yesterday morning, police said.

The fire began at 4.45 a.m., and it quickly spread among the closely grouped vehicles, police said. Soon 15 buses were gutted and five others were badly damaged.

Emergency responders were able to get inside the Goffstown Truck Center and grab the keys for 10 other buses, moving then to safety before they were consumed, said Bradford Police Officer Ed Shaughnessy.

Shaughnessy said that each bus was worth $70,000. With the partially damaged buses and other damage to the area, Shaughnessy totaled out the damage at $1.5 million.

No injuries were reported.

Shaughnessy said video footage from a bus surveillance camera showed that the fire started in a single bus.

Police said that most of the buses belonged to Kearsarge Regional School District.

The New Hampshire State Fire Marshal’s office will investigate. Shaughnessy said investigators are looking into foul play as the reason behind the yellow inferno.

“We’re looking into it,” Shaughnessy said. “An investigation is set up for the morning with the State Fire Marshal.”

The blaze drew firefighters from six towns.

About The Author

John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine and the Blast Magazine Network. He can be reached at [email protected]. Tweet @johnguilfoil.

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