Fire destroys Kelloggsville bus garage and six buses; no injuries, district begins recovery

A fire destroyed one Kelloggsville Public Schools bus garage and six district buses, Superintendent Jim Alston told the Board of Education on May 6, 2024. He said there were no injuries and district leaders have begun insurance and fire investigative procedures.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries and the process has started, to work through all of the insurance and fire investigative steps to move forward with rebuilding the site and bus fleet," Alston said in the minutes. He specifically thanked staff members (Mr. Skinner and Mrs. Nickelson) for their response and expressed appreciation to neighboring Kentwood Public Schools and Dean Transportation for offering buses to support the district’s transportation needs while the fleet is rebuilt.

The minutes do not specify the cause of the fire or an exact timeline for replacing the lost buses. Board members acknowledged the district's quick coordination with partner districts and vendors; the administration said it will proceed with standard insurance and investigation steps and return updates to the board as they become available.

The incident was recorded under "Other Matters" in the meeting minutes; the board took no formal action at the meeting beyond expressing thanks to responding staff and partner organizations.