Reinita Smith had 20 students inside her school bus when a fire from the back of the vehicle suddenly erupted. But rather than saving her own skin, she started pulling the terrified kids out the bus.
The incident happened between 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Monday on the 9600 block of 51st Avenue in College Park, according to Mark Bady. Bady is the public information officer for Prince George's County, MD Fire and EMS Department.
The children were from the Glenarden Woods Elementary School and were fortunate that they had Smith as their bus driver. The fire apparently originated from the rear wheels but what caused it is still under investigation.
No one got hurt during the incident thanks to the quick action of Smith. Bady commended how the woman driver was able to maintain her composure as the ordeal unfolded.
Parents picked their kids up from the scene of the blaze and personally extended their thanks to Smith, and later thanked her again by posting the woman's heroism on social media.
"A big THANK YOU to our school bus driver Reneita Smith who just saved 20 elementary school kids from a bus fire that completely destroyed the bus," Fazlul Kabir wrote on his Facebook page. The parent went on to say that Smith didn't just evacuated the kids one by one, but also ensured that nobody got left behind; entering the blazing bus one last time before finally abandoning the vehicle.
"I am a mom of two kids," Kabir recalled Smith saying as the bus burned. "It's my job to save them."
After the story spread on social media platforms and getting picked up by both local and national news, Smith received tons of praise from thousands of people applauding the driver for her bravery and selflessness.
The blaze was caught on the Branchville Volunteer Fire Company firefighter's dash-cam showing the thick smoke and flame consuming the empty bus.
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