Pregnant Driver Evacuates Students Seconds Before Bus Catches Fire, Hailed As A Hero

A pregnant school bus driver in US' Wisconsin is being hailed for her bravery after she saved dozens of children from a fire, New York Post reported.

The incident happened on May 31, when Imunek Williams was driving 37 children to the Milwaukee Academy of Science when she smelled smoke inside her school bus according to local news station WISN.

''I just thought it was normal to smoke coming from another car because I always smell smoke or weird smells. But then as I started to drive more, the smell and the smoke started to get thicker,'' Ms. Williams, who is eight months pregnant, told WISN. 

Springing into action, she pulled over and calmly evacuated all 37 students from the vehicle. Within moments, the bus became engulfed in flames, but fortunately, no one was injured. Ms. Williams, who has a 1-year-old and another one on the way, credits her motherly instincts for what she did.

''I told the kids to get off the bus. I evacuated and made sure everyone was out. I made them line up against the gate and as soon as we stepped off... I turned around and the bus was just in flames,'' the 24-year-old driver added.

First responders soon arrived on the scene, putting water hoses through the bus windows to put out the fire. After the incident, she was taken to an area hospital, where she was evaluated for smoke inhalation and released the same day, Independent reported.

Milwaukee police confirmed that no one was on the bus when it burst into flames on Wednesday. Ms. Williams has received an outpouring of love and appreciation from her community for her quick thinking.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.