Woman, 89, dead at scene of bus fire on Pomona freeway in Hacienda Heights

HACIENDA HEIGHTS, Calif. (KESQ) - An 89-year-old woman died, and another person was injured when a tour bus caught fire on the Pomona Freeway in Hacienda Heights.  

The fire was reported at 5:38 a.m. Friday on the eastbound Pomona (60) Freeway, east of Hacienda Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.

According to the CHP's preliminary findings, the driver of the Mercedes-Benz bus was traveling east on the Pomona Freeway near Hacienda Boulevard when the vehicle began experiencing mechanical problems.   

The driver pulled onto the right shoulder and noticed smoke coming from the rear of the bus, where the engine compartment is located, according to the CHP.  

"He and the passengers of the bus were evacuated as the bus caught fire,'' according to a CHP statement.   

After the fire was extinguished, authorities determined that one passenger had not been accounted for. The passenger was found aboard the bus and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the CHP.  

The victim was later identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner as Marina Diaz de Pacheco.

A second person was taken to a hospital, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. That person's condition was not immediately available.   

Two right lanes of the eastbound freeway were closed and remained blocked for hours following the fire.   

Video from the scene showed the bus on the shoulder of the freeway with its rear portion badly burned.