Driver evacuates 31 children as school bus burns out in Hirschaid, Bavaria, no injuries
On Friday, 16 October, a scheduled bus carrying 31 pupils caught fire near Bamberg after the driver got every child off, and police put the damage at about 25,000 euros.
Children raised the alarm
On Friday, 16 October, a scheduled bus carrying children to school burned out in Hirschaid, a town in the Bamberg district of Upper Franconia, Bavaria. The bus was on Industriestrasse at around 7.20 am with 31 pupils on board, all heading to the local primary and middle school. Pupils at the back of the vehicle noticed a smell of smoke and told the driver at once. Police said the engine is located in the rear of the bus, the same area where the smoke was first noticed. Moments later the first flames broke out from the back and spread quickly across the whole vehicle, and photos from the scene show it completely burnt out.
The driver got everyone out
The 64-year-old driver stopped at once, opened the doors and, with help from people at the scene, led the children out of the danger zone. Police spokesman Alexander Krapp described the reaction in comments to Bild.
The man reacted with lightning speed.
Rescue services were alerted shortly after 7.30 am, but by the time they arrived every child was already safe. District fire chief Tobias Dütsch said the driver had acted entirely correctly.
It must also be said that the bus driver acted completely correctly here.
Firefighting under a high-voltage line
The bus came to rest directly beneath a high-voltage power line, which made firefighting difficult, Dütsch said. When firefighters reached the scene the bus was already fully ablaze and nothing inside could be saved. Around 50 firefighters from surrounding fire brigades were deployed, and the blaze was put out after about 45 minutes. Dütsch said that the children having already left the bus had considerably eased the work.
- Bus is on Industriestrasse in Hirschaid with 31 children on board
- Rescue services are alerted, and all children are already out of the bus
- The fire is extinguished
Count, care and open questions
Fire crews and police first put the number of pupils who left the bus at 35, but after speaking with the school the figure was corrected to 31 primary and middle school pupils. Neither the children nor the driver were hurt, and rescue services examined everyone at a collection point. The children then continued to school on a replacement bus, where a care point was set up and the school's crisis team looked after the affected pupils. The burned-out bus has since been towed away. Police estimate the damage at about 25,000 euros, and the cause of the fire is still unclear, with investigations under way.