(AP) - Authorities say about two dozen passengers safely evacuated a bus after it burst into flames while traveling on the Garden State Parkway.

The fire occurred around 9:30 a.m. Thursday near milepost 116.7 in Holmdel. The driver pulled onto the shoulder when he noticed smoke coming from the bus, and the more than 20 passengers aboard the vehicle got out without incident.

The fire destroyed the bus. It also forced the brief closure of the local southbound lanes, but the highway's express lanes remained open.

State police say the bus was registered to Island Charter of Staten Island, New York. But it wasn't immediately known where the bus was headed to when the fire occurred.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.