The fire, apparently the result of an electrical issue, damaged the buses Jan. 18 outside the Nankin Transit parking area on Dorsey Street in Westland. Officials said the buses were plugged into a block heater which apparently caused the fire.
Nankin Transit Director Jim Ridener sid six of the seven SMART buses outside were damaged and five of those six were entirely wrecked, said Kelly Eggers, Westland fire marshal.
No injuries were reported and the building was not damaged and services have gone uninterrupted, Ridener said. Nankin Transit accepted the pre-scheduled delivery of three new buses before the fire and those arrived later Monday, Ridener said. The transit company was making about 300 trips for seniors and the disabled before the pandemic but currently, they make only about 120 to 150 daily trips throughout Wayne, Westland, Inkster, Garden City and Canton Township, he estimated.
