A father and son have told how they escaped a blaze on a bus full of St Johnstone fans – by breaking down a window.
Dozens of supporters were travelling back from the club’s League Cup Semi Final at Hampden Park on Saturday night when a fire started, with flames soon engulfing the coach on the A9 flyover near Auchterarder.
No one was seriously injured but five people were taken to hospital as a precaution.
Jayson Dempsey, from Scone, was travelling back home on the coach with his 16-year-old son, Ryan, when the blaze broke out.
The 43-year-old told STV News: “The scariest point was looking out that window and seeing flames.
“I thought the bus was going to explode there and then because everybody was trying to get out one exit.
“The rest of the people were trying to use the exit at the front but it was just a bottleneck so I thought ‘we’re just not getting out of here quick enough for me so I’m going out the window’.”
Ryan added: “It was just a mess. I was just focusing on trying to get off.
“When I saw it I just grabbed all my stuff and then tried to find the nearest way out.
“I saw the escape hatch on the roof and started to punch that and get out of there but it didn’t work and when I turned round, dad had got the other window open.”
Jayson said: “We came home from hospital and never slept.
“You just have all these horrible thoughts running through your head of what could have happened.”
A spokesperson from St Johnstone posted on Twitter: “We were made aware that a supporters bus travelling home from the game caught fire.
“We are glad to report that everyone escaped without any serious injuries.
“We can’t begin to imagine how scary that must have been, and our thoughts are with everyone involved.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a bus fire on the A9 flyover near Auchterarder around 9.30pm on Saturday, November 20.
“Officers attended to help with road closures, alongside the fire service and ambulance service.
“There were not believed to be any serious injuries and five people were taken to hospital as a precaution.”
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