Hero Bus Driver Saved 22 Children From Camp Fire Blaze

Because of the actions of a hero bus driver, 22 children going at the Ponderosa Elementary School in Paradise were not killed. Though he had only started working at the school, he recognized the danger immediately and realized that it they didn’t evacuate quickly, the flames would arrive at the school.

Speaking to CNN, Kevin McKay says he understood the severity of the situations when he noticed the fire was coming from all sides. By then, most children had been picked up by their parents and hopefully taken to safety, but 22 children were still inside. Their parents were trapped as well, and couldn’t arrive to pick them up.

So McKay and 2 other teachers, Abbie Davis and Mary Ludwig, spoke to the principal and informed him that they were willing to take the 5-hour drive to safety in the school bus. They were expecting things to be bad, but they never imagined just how bad they’d be.

During the long ride through burning fields and car jams, they picked up another passenger, a woman whose car had broken down and who seemed to be injured. They also experienced smoke intoxication, so McKay tore off a shirt and the teachers doused pieces of cloth with water so the children could breathe properly again.

When they felt panic was setting in, they rehearsed emergency procedures, asking the kids to pair according to age, remember phone numbers and learn the emergency exits and how to use the fire extinguisher.

As they recall now, the journey felt like they were traveling through Armageddon. Fire and smoke was engulfing them and it didn’t seem like it was possible for them to ever make it out. They did, though – thanks to the hero bus driver.

“We had the bus driver from heaven,” Ludwig tells CNN of McKay.