Bus crash in San Bernardino County Mountains prompts mass casualty alert

There were 36 people on board a bus involved in a fiery crash in the San Bernardino Mountains Sunday evening, prompting firefighters to declare a mass casualty accident.

Details are still limited, and the exact cause of the accident is unknown. However, initial reports indicate that officials with the California Highway Patrol, San Bernardino County Fire Department and other surrounding agencies responded shortly before 9 p.m. to reports of a rollover bus on State Route 330 near mile marker 38 in the Fredalba neighborhood of Running Springs.

One witness, who was following the bus and knew several passengers involved in the accident, told OnScene.TV, a video news service, that the young people on the bus attended a church event and were on their way back to church in Santa Ana when the accident occurred.

Video from the scene shows a heavy presence of first responders who set up a triage area to quickly assess the condition of passengers on the bus.

A total of 36 people were on board the bus, both adults and teenagers, when it crashed, county fire officials said. A total of 20 patients were taken to hospital, including three with serious injuries.

He added, “The rest of the passengers suffered minor injuries and were not transported or were not reported injured at all.” Officials said in a letter to X.

Officials with Caltrans said Interstate 330 was closed in both directions, from Live Oak near Running Springs to Highland Avenue in Highland as a result of the crash.

Officials added that due to the “unknown duration” of the closure, motorists should use State Route 18 as an alternate route.