Rita's First Texas Victims

This is a sad story:

A fire in a chartered bus filled with elderly Hurricane Rita evacuees, including some who used oxygen, has killed 24 people near Dallas Friday.

Authorities said the bus apparently caught fire due to a mechanical problem, and that oxygen tanks then started exploding on gridlocked Interstate 45.

Dallas County Sheriff's Sgt. Don Peritz said deputies couldn't get everyone off the flaming bus. It carried about 45 people from a nursing home in Bellaire, an upscale enclave within Houston. They had been on the road since Thursday.

Peritz said permission was given to remove the charred hulk of the bus from the northbound lane with the bodies still on board, shrouded by tarps. The crowded interstate is a primary Hurricane Rita evacuation route.

With tens of thousands of vehicles stuck on Texas highways in 100+ degree heat, there are bound to be many cases of overheating and vehicle fires. Sadly, this one occured on a bus full of people who probably had limited ability to escape.