Maureen Ottman has lived in the same quiet Cleveland, Ohio suburb for decades. During the year, she enjoyed seeing the neighborhood kids get onto the school bus. On February 27, however, the morning school route would look a lot different for neighbors and the 15 kids on board.

“I saw a little girl getting on the bus like I do every day. After she got on the bus, I heard a big boom,” Ottman told WEWS. “I looked out the window, and I saw flames coming from the side of the bus.”

Before it was consumed by flames, the bus driver quickly ushered the kids off of the bus. They waited from a distance while emergency personnel and another bus came to take the kids to school.

“There were a couple of booms, and the bus driver said, ‘Everybody get off the bus,'” recalled 13-year-old Britt Mosby. “That’s when we ran from it, and the bus just caught on fire. We were all scared. We called our parents. Luckily, the bus driver got us off safely.”

Parents recalled frantic calls from their kids

Devin Morri Meadows, who had a 13-year-old son on board, said her son called her in a panic, and had to calm him down.

“I told my son, ‘This is all good news. Hang up with me and be very careful to pay attention to the bus driver,'” she said. “It was very comforting hearing the bus driver had it under control. I didn’t panic.”

All 15 children made it to school and back home safely, thanks to the driver‘s quick reflexes. Interestingly, district officials told the outlet it had passed an inspection the week before, so they’re not sure why the fire happened.

The district also performs annual evacuation drills for drivers and students, adding to the positive outcome.

The cause of the fire is under investigation by the Ohio Highway Patrol and the Cleveland Heights Fire Department. The driver wished to remain anonymous as he was just doing his job.

Viewers had their own theories as to what happened to the bus

Based on the video taken by a resident in the neighborhood, many mechanically inclined viewers guessed what caused the fire.

“It looks like someone was driving it around with the e-brake on and the heat caught something on fire,” they wrote, based on where the flames were coming from.

Another viewer asked if it was electric.

“Was it an electric bus? Electric vehicles have been known to just catch fire and go up in flames. It’s usually the giant electric battery that is always located under the floor.”

Many others praised the driver’s heroism.

“Scary stuff. Glad all the kids are okay. Good on the driver for knowing what to do in an emergency.”