Driver called 'hero' for saving students from bus fire

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. — A school bus driver here was able to get students to exit their school bus just before it was consumed by flames last week, authorities told ABC News.

Steve Concialdi, captain of the Orange County Fire Authority, said the driver, whose name has not been disclosed, was dropping students off at Rancho Santa Margarita Intermediate School around 8:15 a.m. when the fire started, according to the news source.  

Concialdi also told ABC News the fire started in the engine compartment at the front of the bus, which is now "a total loss." The driver noticed that the engine was on fire and “did an excellent job” of getting all 35 students aboard the bus to exit safely, he added, and called her a “hero.”

No students were injured or taken to the hospital, Concialdi told the news source.

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