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The bus carrying the Indiana University Indianapolis men’s basketball team burst into flames on Sunday, February 23, with the players and team personnel on board left scrambling for safety.
Shocking photos obtained by WISHNews8, a local CW affiliate, showed the aftermath, with the IU Indy team’s bus largely incinerated on the side of the highway.
“On the return drive from today’s game against Northern Kentucky, the bus carrying the IU Indianapolis men’s basketball team experienced a mechanical issue that caused a fire around Kent, Indiana,” the school’s athletic department said in a statement. “All members of the team and staff evacuated the bus without injury. Another bus is en route to pick up the team and deliver them back to Indianapolis.”
#BREAKING: A bus carrying the IU Indy men’s basketball team caught fire earlier tonight near Kent, Indiana.
The team says everyone evacuated and there were no injuries.
Photo credit: Amber Pickett@WISHNews8 #Indianapolis #IUINDY pic.twitter.com/9YfCTfYRmQ
— Kyla Russell (@KylaBRussell) February 24, 2025
According to ABC affiliate WRTV-Indianapolis, the team was eventually picked up by another bus which transported them safely back to campus on Sunday night.
WLWT-Cincinnati (a local NBC affiliate) obtained video of the fire, which showed the front end of the bus completely engulfed in flames.
The school’s associate athletic director, Ed Holdaway, told Yahoo Sports that the fire “quickly spread, engulfing the entire bus.”
Most players and staff members “were only able to get out with what was on their person,” according to Holdaway, which meant there was a “considerable loss of personal items.” Holdaway said some individuals lost cell phones, wallets and team gear.
IU Indy was returning home from a 71-67 road loss to Northern Kentucky. A member of the Horizon League conference the IU Indy Jaguars fell to 9-20 with two games remaining on their regular season schedule.
In the moments after the harrowing bus incident, members of the team who were able to save their phones pulled them out to document the ordeal via social media.
IU Indy senior guard Alec Millender jokingly took the blame for the blaze. The Chicago native shared a video of the charred bus via his Instagram Story on Sunday, writing, “My bad I started rapping g 🔥🤦🏾♂️.”
Sophomore guard Nathan Duke shared a story about the fire via his Instagram Story, writing, “Crazy.” Paul Zilinskas, a graduate student guard, shared his own video from outside the bus, panning from a shot of his teammates on the side of the road to the burned bus. “Woe,” he wrote.
IU Indy returns to the court for home games against Robert Morris and Wright State on Thursday, February 27, and Saturday, March 1, respectively, before the Horizon League Tournament tips off on Tuesday, March 4.
