VEHICULAR FIRE IN A 1995 THOMAS/NAVISTAR VISTA SCHOOL BUS. ELECTRICAL FIRE OCCURRED IN THE DORAN MFG. EXTERIOR LIGHT MONITOR PANEL ON A SPECIAL NEEDS SCHOOL BUS. FIRE WAS LIMITED TO THE PANEL ITSELF, NO WIRING WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED. DRIVER WAS OPERATING LIGHTS AS PART OF PRE-TRIP INSPECTION PRECEDING FIRE. FIRE INVOLVED OPEN FLAME IN DORAN ELECTRICAL PANEL, NO INJURIES, NO CHILDREN ON BUS AT THE TIME. THE PANEL WAS REPLACED AS WAS AN IN-LINE FUSE HOLDER CARRYING POWER TO THE PANEL. THE FUSE HOLDER WAS NOT DAMAGED, BUT TEMPERATURE OF THE WIRING APPEARED TO BE ELEVATED. PARTS WHICH WERE REPLACED WERE RETAINED.*AK