Greensboro Transit Agency (GTA), operated by RATP Dev USA, is formally notifying you of an engine compartment fire involving one of our transit vehicles. Vehicle Information: •Fleet Number: 764 •Manufacturer: New Flyer •Vehicle Type: Heavy-Duty Transit Bus •Incident Date: [XXX] •Location: Greensboro, North Carolina Summary of Incident: While in revenue service, the operator reported hearing an abnormal noise and observed white smoke coming from the rear engine compartment area. The operator safely evacuated passengers and emergency responders arrived quickly to suppress the fire. No injuries or fatalities occurred. A third-party fire investigation was conducted by Halsey King & Associates. Based on the preliminary findings, the fire is believed to have originated from a catastrophic failure of the Thermo King A/C compressor clutch bearing assembly. The bearing reportedly overheated, seized, and caused the compressor belt to ignite while still being driven by the engine. The investigation identified evidence consistent with: •A seized A/C compressor clutch bearing •Extreme heat generation within the clutch assembly •Belt ignition and progression of fire through engine compartment components At this time, our maintenance records do not indicate any previously documented defects associated with this specific Thermo King assembly prior to the incident. Our fleet currently has inspection and preventive maintenance procedures in place related to belt alignment, pulley alignment, be