A small fire was sparked and quickly contained last week at Rocky Mountain Transportation's bus facility in Whitefish.

An electrical cord that was plugged into an engine block heater created an arc resulting in a small fire, according to a Jan. 16 email from Whitefish School District Superintendent Dave Means. 

The fire was detected by Rocky Mountain Transportation staff who were able to extinguish it before the fire department arrived. The electrical cord was not a part of or inside of the bus, said Rocky Mountain Transportation owner Seth Soley. 

Soley said the bus company reported the incident to the school district immediately to avoid the spread of misinformation.   

“We want to be transparent as possible,” he said. 

Means said district administration will be discussing the incident with the bus company at a future meeting. 

Whitefish School District held a public engagement session in early December to discuss ways to improve student transportation after a Rocky Mountain Transportation activities bus caught fire Nov. 23, 2024 while at a speech and debate tournament in Ronan.  

At the end of last year, the district also formed an Activities Transportation Advisory Committee to meet monthly with the bus company as well as an Activities Transportation Advisory Task Force to bolster action.