Courtesy of the Roanoke Police Department

Firefighters battle a Roanoke school bus fire Monday morning near Sixth Street and Morrill Avenue Southeast.

A Roanoke school bus burned Monday morning in a fire which officials believe was caused by an electrical malfunction.

The bus driver was picking up a student just after 8 a.m. near Sixth Street and Morrill Avenue Southeast when the front of the bus caught fire, according to Roanoke Fire-EMS spokeswoman Tiffany Bradbury.

The student and the bus driver -- the only people on the bus --were able to get out of the vehicle and were not injured, Bradbury said. But when firefighters arrived, the bus was engulfed in flames.

Schools spokeswoman Tiffany Woods said the student, who goes to Patrick Henry High School, was picked up by another bus and taken to school.

"I think the firefighters were able to put out the fire fairly quickly, but it did cause significant damage to the bus," Woods said. "No one was hurt and everyone was able to get off the bus really quickly."

The bus, No. 16, was used for picking up disabled students. The bus was 14 years old. Woods said the loss will be covered by insurance.

The school system has a replacement bus ready for the route, which serves five special education students, Woods said.