Fourteen schoolchildren have a bus driver to be thankful toward after he pulled the bus over when he noticed the bus was on fire and quickly evacuated the kids, according to the Aurora Fire Rescue company in Aurora, Colorado. Aurora is a suburb of Denver.
Firefighters were quickly dispatched to the scene and by the time they arrived the bus was fully engulfed in flames. Firefighters said the alertness and quick action of the driver “were crucial in ensuring everyone’s safety.” Though there are no details yet, fire investigators say the blaze was accidental and originated somewhere in the engine compartment.
There were no injuries from the blaze, for which the Aurora School District said they were very grateful. The district said that as soon as they learned of the fire they called emergency responders first, then dispatched a second bus to pick up the scared and stranded children.
A district spokesman said the district wanted to “give our utmost thanks” to the bus driver for being eagle-eyed and taking immediate action to protect the lives and safety of the schoolchildren.
There have been several similar transportation mishaps in the headlines recently. Back in April, a school bus in South Jersey went up in flames just moments after the students and the driver had gotten off. Several students riding in the bus said they thought something was wrong and could smell smoke. Thirteen-year-old Reggie Capone told reporters he and his classmates heard a bang and smelled smoke, which prompted the driver to pull over and usher everyone off.
Just a month before, Louisiana bus driver Kia Rousseve got the scare of her life when the bus she was driving started to lose power and was acting strangely. She said the bus “started jerking and going real, real slow,” and he had an immediate sense (she attributed it to maternal instinct) that something was desperately wrong. She was correct.
Rousseve pulled the bus over and evacuated the children. As soon as she did, the bus went up in flames.
