Robert Flagg / WFAA-TV

Passengers look on as smoke continues to pour from the rear of the bus.

DALLAS — An intercity tour bus operated by a Houston-based company caught fire and burned Tuesday morning in far southern Dallas. No injuries were reported among the 15 adults and three children on board.

The Transportes Los Norteños coach smoldered near the Flying J Travel Plaza on Interstate 20 at Bonnie View Road.

"They were nervous, of course, because it was an emergency. There was a lot of smoke coming out," said bus driver, Oscar Torres, who led a one-man rescue of everybody on board the bus.

Passengers stood along the shoulder of the service road with whatever luggage they could salvage from the burning bus, which was on a journey from Columbus, Ohio to Monterrey and Mexico City, Mexico.

Passengers were transferred to another bus after a two-hour wait.

Their original bus reignited as it was being towed away, causing another traffic snarl on I-20, as firefighters again raced to the scene.

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration said the bus company had a "satisfactory" safety rating as of September of last year.

Transportes Los Norteños has reported no crashes to federal regulators in the past two years, according to records available online.

Local investigators speculate that an electrical fault may be to blame.

Twenty-three people perished in September, 2005 when a bus ferrying evacuees from Hurricane Rita exploded in flames as it approached Dallas. The National Transportation Safety Board ruled that the fire was triggered by a heat buildup due to insufficient lubrication in a wheel bearing. The NTSB blamed the fire on improper vehicle maintenance.

A Houston-based charter bus crashed in Sherman August 8, killing 17 people and injuring 38 others.

E-mail bhawkins@wfaa.com