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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Vassia Barba

School bus bursts into flames with quick-thinking driver saving lives of six kids

A school bus has burst into flames with the quick-thinking driver saving the lives of six kids.

Fire ripped through the vehicle after an engine failure but thankfully all the children escaped in time and no one was injured thanks to the driver.

The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon in Queens, New York, and everyone managed to escape unharmed.

A video captured the rapidly growing flames and thick smoke plummeting in the air.

Six children between the ages of 5 and 11 were on board.

They were being transported home from a private Yeshiva they attend, when suddenly the front engine of the bus began emitting smoke.

The flames spread rapidly, but the driver remained calm and efficiently evacuated all the children.

They waited until their parents arrived to pick them up, ensuring their safety.

A school bus fire in Queens left everyone unharmed after heroic evacuation (ABC7)

Meanwhile, the fire extended to five other vehicles, completely destroying three of them.

The driver recounted his actions, telling CBS News, "I pulled them out the front and opened up the back door to get them out.

"Don't be scared. Everything is going to be all right' And I called the parents, the school, the company. They were panicking. They are kids, you know."

Witnesses praised the driver's bravery in guiding the kids to safety (ABC7)

FDNY Battalion Chief Brian Hanrahan explained that the fire involved diesel fuel, causing it to ignite very fast.

Svetlana Arabova, who tried in vain to rescue her brand-new car, suffered burns while attempting to open the door.

She expressed her frustration, stating: "I went to open the door and I burned myself, I was very upset and I cannot help."

The driver swiftly got six children off the bus before the flames spread (ABC7)

Chief Hanrahan described the severity of the blaze, mentioning that the flames reached the height of a fourth-floor window.

He compared it to a "fire tornado," and praised the bus driver for swiftly evacuating the six children before the fire escalated.

Witnesses commended the bravery of the bus driver during the incident.

Svetlana Arabova recalled hearing the driver's urgent instructions, "Let's go fast. Let's go. Go out. The bus gonna burn."

The fire engulfed multiple vehicles, causing significant damage (Fox5)

Another witness named Sokrates Xhumbas observed the driver holding the children's hands and guiding them to safety.

A man named Ariel arrived to pick up his 10-year-old brother and said a few other kids started crying.

He said of his brother: "He was trying to calm them down as well because he's a strong kid at heart."

Emergency crews remained at the scene, and an investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the fire.

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