A school bus driver in College Park, Maryland heroically stepped into action and saved the lives of 20 elementary school children when the bus she was driving caught on fire. According to HLN, bus driver Renita Smith evacuated each child from the bus one at a time, making sure that everyone was safe and getting out of harm's way.
The Branchville Volunteer Fire Company captured video of the bus completely engulfed in flames, and HLN obtained photos of the completely scorched bus after the fire was put out. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, HLN reported, and Smith told Mike Galanos on The Daily Share that she can't believe what happened.
Smith said that leading up to the fire, the bus started making strange noises, and the brake lights were activating on her dashboard. Very soon after she smelled smoke, and pulled over. Seeing fire in her rearview mirror, Smith said:
I got my babies, and I got off the bus. But it didn't sit right with me, I had to make sure every last body on that bus was accounted for. I ran back in. As I ran back in, and I got back off, I got to the last stop on the bus, and the bus went up in flames.
Nobody was injured in the bus fire, thanks to Smith's actions.