Driver, nurse save 4 special-needs students from bus fire
Alfred “Al” Lewis pulls the bus over, opens the passenger door and window to let the smoke out, sprays the fire extinguisher into the vents, and gathers the students in wheelchairs and carries them outside to safety. Meanwhile, the nurse helps the other two students out of the rear door.
OSSEO, Minn. — The Star Tribune reports that bus driver Alfred “Al” Lewis and a nurse, whose name was not disclosed, helped four Osseo Area Schools/ISD 279 special-needs students — two of them in wheelchairs — out of the bus after Lewis smelled smoke and saw a fire inside the bus.
Lewis told the newspaper that he pulled the bus over, opened the passenger door and his window to let the smoke out of the bus, grabbed the fire extinguisher and sprayed it into the vents, and then calmly gathered the students in wheelchairs and carried them outside to safety. Meanwhile, the nurse helped two of the students out of the rear door of the bus.
Soon after, the bus was quickly gutted by the fire, according to the StarTribune.
A full-time driver for First Student for six years, Lewis also told the Star Tribune that he was happy once all the children were safe and that he “just did what we’re trained to do.” He resumed driving his regular bus route after the incident.
To read the full story, click here.
More Safety

School's Back. Here's What Happened to Traffic, Speeding & Distraction
What happens to traffic when school resumes? New data analysis examines changes in distracted driving, congestion, and speeding around schools.
Read More →
Geotab Expands Fleet Safety Tools With Video Coaching, Risk Insights
New safety and video capabilities aim to help fleet managers assess risk, support drivers, and take targeted action through video coaching, red-light violation detection, and more.
Read More →
How to Build a Better School Bus Driver Training Program
Is it time to strengthen your driver training? Here’s how to pick the right talent and improve recruitment, retention, and safety. This video is brought to you by IC Bus.
Read More →
Recent School Bus Accidents Leave 2 Dead, 2 Injured
Four school bus crashes in Florida, Illinois, and Georgia highlight risks in transportation lots, at bus stops, and during student loading and unloading.
Read More →
When Every Second Matters, Clarity Keeps Routes Moving
From routine delays to urgent incidents, strong communication practices help drivers, dispatchers, schools, and families respond with confidence.
Read More →
What Happens When a School Bus Catches Fire — and What Can Help
School bus fires are rare but can be devastating. Learn how advances in fire suppression and asset protection help fleets detect fires earlier, reduce damage, and improve safety.
Read More →
Geotab Launches Tool to Help Fleets Investigate Road Incidents
Geotab Investigations combines telematics data, video, documents, and other evidence to help fleets reconstruct incidents, resolve claims, and determine what happened.
Read More →
Texas Sixth Grader Wins 2026 National School Bus Safety Poster Contest
Sai Darshana Yekolu of Moseley Middle School in Prosper, Texas, was named the newest winner for her artwork, bringing the theme of “Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes” to life.
Read More →
Doing More With Less: How Transportation Directors Can Prioritize Safety Amid Budget Uncertainty
With diesel prices soaring and nearly one-third of transportation directors expecting budget cuts, maintaining student safety has never been more challenging. Download this guide to learn how leading districts are prioritizing risk, funding critical safety technology, and building stronger budget cases with data.
Read More →
Walton County Schools Adds Gatekeeper Stop-Arm Enforcement System
The Florida district will deploy Gatekeeper’s updated Student Protector technology, which now incorporates AI to improve video evidence.
Read More →

