A Waldron Public School (WPS) bus caught fire while transporting students to school, and all students were uninjured thanks to the bus driver’s quick response.

WPS released a statement confirming that one of its school buses had experienced an electrical fire, which led to the immediate evacuation of those on board.

District leaders stated that students were safe and transported to school in another vehicle. The fire was successfully extinguished, and the situation was managed by local authorities.

Officials also thanked the bus driver, who was not identified at this writing, for his quick and effective response in evacuating students off the bus and ensuring their safety.

Comments on social media posts showed parents were grateful for the bus driver’s rapid response and at ease knowing that everyone was safe.

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An Onamia School District bus driver is being hailed as a hero for dodging a head-on crash with a semitrailer truck and saving many lives, reported Star Tribune.

The incident reportedly occurred on Feb. 5 around 7:15 a.m. in central Minnesota, when a semitrailer truck crossed into the oncoming lane, where the school bus was. The bus driver, identified as 52-year-old Brian Lathrop, was seen via video making a quick maneuver to avoid a complete head-on crash.

Mille Lacs County Sheriff Kyle Burton said the quick maneuver undoubtedly saved many lives. The semi made a “glancing sideswipe” near the bus’s rear passenger side instead of a full head-on crash thanks to the bus driver’s quick actions.

The trucker, 54-year-old David Garrett, told local news reporters that he was under the impression that he hit black ice before losing control of his vehicle. He confirmed this was the first time anything like this incident had happened to him in his 10 years of truck driving.

Onamia Superintendent Jason Vold said via the article that along with the driver, there were three paraprofessionals and four students on board the bus at the time of the incident. Two students among the eight people on board were evaluated for minor injuries.

Vold said the district will be recognizing Lathrop for his heroic actions at the next school board meeting.

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A school bus driver in Jackson Township in Ohio is being hailed as a hero after risking his own life to save others including a dog during a house fire, reported The Washington Post.

According to the news report, 54-year-old Todd Morris, a retired police officer and current school bus driver, was heading home from a doctor’s appointment on Jan. 22, when he saw smoke rising into the sky from a house.

Temperatures that day were subzero, which closed school. Morris was in his personal vehicle when he came upon the fire.

Morris told local news reporters that as soon as he turned a corner, he saw the house of two of the children on his normal elementary school bus route on fire. He stated he knew that the students were off that day as well and probably home.

Morris stopped his car, got out and sprinted toward the house as he dialed 911. He told local news reporters that he started knocking on the door and yelling out the kids’ names.

Because there was no response, Morris said he relied on his police training and kicked in the locked door, forcing an entry into the residence. The smoke was getting heavy, but after a few minutes into his search, he found two terrified dogs.

The dogs taken outside of the home safely and Morris went back in to clear the residence. By the time the kitchen ceiling began to collapse, and the second floor was fully engulfed, Morris evacuated and the fire department showed up to put out the flames.

According to the article, residents Matt Fisher and his wife were at work when the fire broke out. Their four children were with their grandmother, who was taking care of them while school wasn’t in session.

Fisher told local news reporters that once he learned about the fire, he panicked because he knew the dogs were there. The family also had a cat, which did not survive the fire. Still, Fisher said he is grateful to Morris for saving his dogs and alerting authorities of the fire, which remained under investigation at this report.

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The post Off-duty Ohio School Bus Driver Saves Student’s Dog From House Fire appeared first on School Transportation News.

The family of a girl who was saved by her school bus driver on Jan. 10 spoke out about the experience, reported WKOW News.

The incident reportedly occurred hen 9-year-old Cathryn Dornacker was on board an Adams-Friendship School District bus and accidentally began choking on part of her bracelet while on her way home from school.

According to the news report, the driver, Jamie Smoczyk, stopped the bus and jumped into action by performing the Heimlich Maneuver on Dornacker.

Dornacker told local news reporters that she was making a bracelet with the “C” clip when the bus stopped, and she accidentally swallowed it.

In a surveillance video recovered from the bus, Dornacker’s brother Jonathan, is seen yelling at Smoczyk that his sister needs held. He told local news reporters that his sister’s face was turning red, and she fell on the ground right before Smoczyk heard his screams and quickly came to aid the child.

Despite the traumatic experience, Dornacker’s parents were grateful for the school bus driver’s heroic actions.

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