Bloomington schools closed after fuel issues in buses

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The Bloomington School District is closing schools Friday, after extremely cold temperatures caused the biodiesel fuel in school buses to clog.

The problem left dozens of students stranded Thursday — some for up to 30 minutes in the dangerous cold.



Superintendent Les Fujitake said the district could not ensure the buses would not encounter the same issues Friday mornning as temperatures remain below zero in the Twin Cities and therefore they decided to close schools in Bloomington.

Elements in biodiesel fuel turn into a gel-like substance at temperatures below 10 degrees. District spokesman Rick Kaufman said some buses couldn’t operate at all and others stalled while picking up students.

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