RONAN — The Ronan Fire Department responded to a bus fire Saturday evening. The bus was used to take Whitefish Speech & Debate students to a tournament.

Ronan Fire Chief Chris Adler tells MTN they were dispatched to Ronan Middle School at 5:30 p.m. after a passerby noticed the bus was on fire.

When firefighters arrived on the scene, the engine in the back of the bus was fully engulfed. The fire quickly spread to the rest of the bus.

Adler says the students were not on the bus when it caught fire. The bus driver was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.

The Ronan school district provided a bus to transport the Whitefish students home.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.