A female bus driver has been hailed as a hero after she successfully rescued about 56 students before a bus exploded.
A South Carolina bus driver, Teresa Stroble became a hero after helping about 56 students off the vehicle before it burst into flames Tuesday morning in Duncan, according to WSPA.
The bus was in route to Duncan Elementary, Beech Springs Intermediate and Byrnes High School when two students in the back of the bus noticed smoke. The students let Stroble know and she got each of the 56 students off the bus and told the transportation office to call 9-1-1.
When everyone was safe, the bus caught fire and firefighters arrived on scene to extinguish the blaze.
Superintendent Scott Turner told WSPA he was very proud of Stroble’s actions and said she was able to evacuate everyone in under a minute.
“She did exactly what she was trained to do. She was calm. She kept the students calm. She made sure they were safe. They were her first priority. She’s our hero today.”
The school district notified parents following the incident and put out a statement on Facebook. Officials with the South Carolina Department of Education are working with fire officials to determine what caused the bus to catch fire.
“As all of our school buses are owned by the state of South Carolina, the investigation into what caused the fire is ongoing, and will be completed by staff at the state level,” the school district said.
Duncan Fire Chief Barry Frost told WSPA they were looking at a heater mounted under a seat in the passenger area as a possible cause.
