A Colorado bus driver evacuated and rescued 14 children from a burning school bus on Wednesday, Aurora Fire Rescue announced in a press release.
The driver noticed from the dashboard that the bus was on fire and quickly stopped the vehicle to evacuate the children, authorities said in a press release. read. (RELATED: Video shows school bus go off road and crash into home)
The department said that “the bus was fully engulfed in flames” when firefighters arrived on scene, and that the driver's quick actions were “critical to ensuring everyone's safety.” “Aurora Fire investigators determined the fire was accidental and occurred in the engine compartment,” the department wrote. No one was injured in the incident.
“We are extremely grateful that no one was injured,” the Aurora School District said. said USA Today, the school district added that it called emergency responders as soon as the fire alarm sounded and used another bus to pick up children.
Officials say driver's heroic actions saved Colorado children when school bus caught fire https://t.co/1EvnVxnG3X
— USA Today (@USATODAY) August 15, 2024
“We are grateful to the bus driver for his quick response and awareness, which kept everyone safe. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” the Aurora School District told the outlet.
This isn't the first time students have come close to being involved in a school bus accident. On April 17, a school bus in southern New Jersey was engulfed in flames moments after the driver and students got off. Students claim they smelled smoke from the bus and heard a loud bang before evacuating. “We could smell it, we could see it, so we got off. It all happened so fast,” said 13-year-old Regan Capone.
Kia Rusebe, a 28-year-old bus driver from Louisiana, experienced a similar moment on March 13 when she noticed her bus suddenly starting to lose power.
“The bus started behaving erratically, jerking and moving really slowly,” said Russebe, who realised her children were in danger and acted on her maternal instincts.
“I have kids, so I thought of them as my own,” she said. Her hunch was correct, and moments after she and all nine students got out of the car, it burst into flames.
