LOCKWOOD, Mont. – Montana State coach Chris Kelley had just hopped on the MCLA Division II selection committee Zoom call when he looked out the window of his bus. There was another vehicle slowed down next to the coach, frantically waving at the driver.

The Bobcats’ bus was burning.

The engine compartment in the back was smoking wildly, forcing the vehicle to the side of the road in Lockwood, Mont., a little burg outside of Billings.

Eighth-ranked Montana State was on its way back from Dickinson, N.D., where the Bobcats squared up with St. John’s and No. 11 North Dakota State. It ended up being a split, but the games were by far the best part of the trip.

As it became clear to the occupants that this was no scheduled pit stop, the move to the exits occurred.

“I was proud of the guys,” said Kelley. “Calm, collected, orderly. The got off and avoided anything worse.

“Great thanks to the Lockwood Fire Department. They were to the bus quickly and did an amazing job.”

Unfortunately, by the time the emergency guys got there, the bus was done. Flames had blown out the windows and it was a full-on marshmallow roast.

The players were able to empty most of the bays under the bus with most of the equipment, uniforms, etc., so that was the good news.

Unfortunately, the orderly departure from the bus meant that all of the personal bags didn’t make it.

Laptops, iPads, phones, car keys and wallets. All gone.

Semester-long projects saved on computers and being prepared for submission disappeared. Homework assignments immolated. Credit cards and IDs roasted.

“These guys are students first, right?” said Kelley. “A lot of these guys not only lost expensive electronics, but hours of hard work that will be nearly impossible to make up as we get to the end of the semester.”

Could it have been worse? Absolutely.

Everyone made it out safely and a replacement bus was on site within 40 minutes. The players got home at midnight.

But there is a lot of pieces to be picked up.

If you have the inclination, the team has started a GoFundMe account in hopes of replacing a lot of lost items.

If not, we can all be grateful for a disaster averted.