Laguna Hills : Driver Pulls Children to Safety From Bus Fire
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Quick thinking and good instincts by a school bus driver saved five kindergartners from harm Friday when a Saddleback Valley Unified School District bus broke out in flames.
County Fire Department spokesman Craig Kinoshita said a faulty carburetor caused the fire, which occurred at 12:05 p.m. at Nellie Gail Road in Laguna Hills. When the driver of the bus, Cecil Long of Mission Viejo, heard a bang and saw flames, he quickly pulled off the road and removed the children from the bus, Kinoshita said.
Long, 50, then attempted to extinguish the blaze with a fire extinguisher, but the bus was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, he added.
Fire officials said it took 16 firemen five minutes to control the blaze, which caused $20,000 in damage.
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