An Ohio bus driver has been hailed a hero for helping 15 students to escape after the school bus they were traveling on burst into flames.

Bus 21 had been at the corner of Cambridge and Northampton in Cleveland Heights when a fire broke out behind one of the rear wheels on the morning of Thursday, Feb. 27, the Cleveland Heights-University Heights City School District said in a news release.

The driver — who was taking the students to Monticello Middle School – reacted “quickly” to evacuate the students “off the bus and to safety,” according to a statement from the Cleveland Heights Fire Department on Facebook.

“First and foremost, I can’t express how relieved I am that no one was hurt, and I am incredibly grateful for the quick response from the driver,” Superintendent Liz Kirby said in a statement shared on behalf of the school district. “I spoke with the driver today, and they credited the annual bus evacuation drills that drivers do with students with preparing them,” she continued.

Kirby revealed the driver doesn’t want to be identified and said they are “respecting that request.”
She added, “I also must credit the students for reacting so calmly and following the driver’s instructions to get to safety.”

According to the Cleveland Heights Fire Department, the students were able to complete their journey after being picked up by another district vehicle.

There were no injuries and the fire was quickly brought under control, authorities said.
Maureen Ottman — who lives in the neighborhood where the bus fire broke out — told local news outlet Cleveland 19 that she heard a loud noise seconds after the bus came down the street.

“It is like nothing I have ever seen before, black smoke everywhere,” Ottman told the outlet. “This house evacuated. The house across the street evacuated. All the kids got off the bus.” Ohio State Highway Patrol last inspected bus 21 on Feb. 14 and found no safety violations, according to Cleveland 19.

State patrols inspect school buses daily across Ohio in addition to annual inspections and visits to schools around every six months, per the outlet. Kirby confirmed in her statement that the state highway patrol and Cleveland Heights Fire Department are working together to investigate the cause of the fire on bus 21 as it wasn’t immediately known.

She also said a team of mechanics were tasked with re-inspecting their fleet of buses “out of an abundance of caution.” “Administrators, social workers, counselors, teachers, and additional staff at Monticello jumped into action to ensure supports were in place at school for students upon arrival,” Kirby said.