GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Several buses owned by Aspiro were damaged after an early morning fire on Green Bay’s west side.
The fire broke out shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning in the 1600 block of Dousman Street.
Aspiro helps people with disabilities reach goals, connect to their community and work on independence.
Aspiro’s vice president of development, Nicole Hoffmann, says these vehicles are crucial for its operation.
“Going forward today, these vehicles are used for our community engagement, for our clients here at Aspiro and that includes transporting them to work and to other community outings, so this will have a very long lasting impact on our services.” said Hoffmann.
The burned vehicles account for about 1/3 of their fleet.
“A replacement bus costs anywhere between $130-160 thousand dollars; so they’re a huge investment,” said Hoffmann. “At the same time, they’re also extremely difficult to source right now.”
The Green Bay Metro Fire Department Hazmat Response Team was called to help contain runoff that contained gasoline.
No one was injured. There’s no word on how the fire started.
The damage is estimated at $500,000. The building wasn’t damaged.
In the short term, Aspiro is looking at bus rentals. Other agencies have also stepped forward and offered temporary use of their vehicles.
A Go Fund Me page has been started to help Aspiro raise funds in light of the lost busses.
