Bus carrying UMass Lowell students to music competition catches fire in Westwood

A bus shuttling about 40 college students to a music competition caught fire on Sunday afternoon in Westwood, officials said.

The students from the University of Massachusetts Lowell were traveling to a band show in Norwood when one of the band members smelled smoke, a university spokesperson said in a statement.

“UMass Lowell is grateful to members of the Westwood fire and police departments who responded to the incident and ensured the safety and wellbeing of our students,” the statement reads.

The bus fire broke out around 1:30 p.m., according to Robert Kilroy, Deputy Chief of the Westwood Fire Department. Crews responded to Route 109 near Grove Street.

Students sitting in the back of the bus alerted the driver to smoke out of their windows on the right, said Jameson Carroll, a