North Carolina Orders Reviews After Charlotte School Bus Fire

North Carolina school officials are telling all 115 school districts to perform special inspections after a Charlotte school bus burst into flames seconds after children escaped.

The state Department of Public Instruction says an investigation of the fire two weeks ago found that the wires on the bus had worn, possibly causing an electric short-circuit and the fire.

Officials think the problem may exist on other Thomas Built Buses received by schools in 1998 and 1999.

State school officials say while Thomas Built Buses is completing a more detailed report on the Charlotte bus fire, local transportation officials should inspect their school buses delivered about 13 years ago for similar wiring issues.

Nearly 14,000 school buses transport North Carolina’s 1.5 million public school students.