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NPS
Contact: John Kelly, 207-288-8703 At approximately 2 pm on September 10, 2016, park rangers and the Bar Harbor Fire Department responded to a report of smoke coming from the rear of a motor coach traveling up Cadillac Summit Road. The driver of the motor coach, operated by Stagecoach Tours and Charters, stopped in the road about a half-mile from the top of the mountain to let passengers off to ensure their safety. Park rangers immediately closed the road to up-bound traffic to respond to the emergency and tow the damaged motor coach off the mountain. While there were no active flames when park rangers and the Bar Harbor Fire Department arrived at the scene, smoke was coming from the rear of the motor coach and a line of oil stretched for more than a half-mile down the road. Emergency responders immediately applied absorbent to the oil spill, which was estimated to be approximately five gallons. Apparently, a line broke causing oil to spill on the hot engine and the road. Park rangers requested a tow truck to remove the motor coach and another bus to return the stranded motor coach passengers to Bar Harbor to rejoin their cruise ship. Shortly after 3 pm, park rangers began clearing visitors from Cadillac Mountain to allow for the motor coach to be towed. The first tow truck that arrived was not sufficient to remove the motor coach so another tow truck was requested. During the tow operation, it was discovered that the motor coach's brake lines were damaged so additional assistance was requested to repair them in case the motor coach could not be towed down the entire length of the road. The tow truck began moving the motor coach down Cadillac Summit Road at around 7:30 pm. Park rangers were concerned that the combined length of the motor coach and tow truck would not allow the two vehicles to navigate around the tight turns of the road. However, with spotting and slow movement, the vehicles did not need to disconnect.The three-mile trip took about 40 minutes to complete. Cadillac Summit Road opened to all traffic at 9 pm. No injuries were reported. |
Last updated: September 11, 2016