Hundreds of Muni buses out of service following fires

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A fire on top of two Muni buses prompted San Francisco officials to pull hundreds of buses from service.

The fires broke out last week on two electrical buses. Officials said the fires were caused by a connector that sits on top of a pole that maintains contact with the overhead wires.

Muni took nearly 300 buses out of service for an inspection. The connector has been replaced on dozens of the buses. "At one point we had as many as 65 coaches that were put on hold to have the retrofit done. We intend to retrofit the entire fleet," San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Director John Haley said.

Officials said the retrofit should last two to three months.

The buses are getting new connectors are 15 years old, so age is the problem.

Muni will shuffle its fleet around to minimize service delays.