A bus with the words “Call on Jesus” on its side was already engulfed in flames when an additional explosion sent debris flying, damaging nearby cars and businesses.

“I felt that one,” one man can be heard saying in witness video that captured the loud bang on Wednesday in Shreveport, Louisiana. The bus appears to have been parked outside a Fresenius Kidney Care location, according to a sign next to it. 

Shreveport Fire Department said in a media release the fire involved a SporTran bus, which is the city’s public transit system. Crews found the “bus actively burning, with a relief valve open and flames erupting from one of the vehicle’s compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel tanks.”

Both police and fire crews quickly established a safety perimeter to keep people away, but shortly after arrival the bus’ “fuel tank ruptured, resulting in a rapid escalation of the fire and causing the bus to become fully involved in flames,” the fire department said. 

The moment the bus that was already on fire exploded. (Karen via Storyful)

The driver and all bus passengers safely exited, local KTAL News reported.

“At this time, we do know there has been heavy damage and there has been damage to the street the bus was on, as well as damage to buildings on either side of the street: one on Dallas Center, one being an apartment complex,” Daniel McDonnell from the Shreveport Fire Department told the TV station. 

Debris can be seen flying after a bus explosion in Shreveport, Louisiana on April 16, 2025. (Karen via Storyful)

The cause of the fire is under investigation. 

Neither the fire department nor a SporTran media contact immediately responded to Fox News Digital requests for comment.