DELAWARE WATER GAP - Incredible pictures of a trolley that caught fire today in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
When it happened, the trolley was full of Pocono tourists!
It was an unbelievable sight this afternoon in the Delaware Water Gap.
Flames shot up into the air and smoke could be seen for more than a mile away as a water gap trolley filled with tourists caught fire.
Smoke billowing from a water gap trolley. A trolley that was filled with more than two-dozen tourists.
Janice Martin was inside that trolley on her vacation to the Poconos from Rhode Island.
"We had stopped to see the coal caves and we got back on and were just getting ready to head out," said Martin.
That's when passengers said the trolley driver noticed something wasn't right.
"He said 'oh my headset went dead' and he said 'I'm just going to put batteries in it' and then he noticed the smoke, we noticed the smoke, said Joyce Wishart of Florida.
Passengers said they rushed to escape through the trolley doors as fast as possible.
One family from New York had their three young kids with them.
"It just started so quick that the smoke started spreading through the trolley very very fast," said Ines Robles of New York.
"I realized it could turn into a fire in any second or can explode, I was scared, that's the only thing I can describe that I had. I was scared I just wanted to get out," said 11-year-old Edwin Urgiles.
This is all that's left of the Water Gap Trolley after fire crews were able to douse that blaze. Passengers on board said they're just thankful everyone got out OK.
Officials with the Water Gap Trolley - which runs from right here in Delaware Water Gap Borough said that trolley had more than $24,000 dollars of engine work done within the past year. Workers say they probably won't be able to determine what went wrong.
"Probably not, it got so hot that it melted everything together, probably won't ever know," said Water Gap Trolley mechanic Stewart Christman.
Tourists mostly in good spirits say - this is one trip to the Poconos, they won't forget.
"Yes it was, we'll remember this trip," said Martin.
After the fire, another trolley took the passengers back to Delaware Water Gap.
Workers say that trolley that burnt was on its second tour of the day - and everything had been running smoothly.
The Water Gap Trolley still plans to operate its other two trolleys as scheduled.
