A school bus driver in US' New Orleans is being hailed for her bravery after she saved nine children moments before the vehicle went up in flames, the Guardian reported. The incident happened on March 13 when Kia Rousseve, 28, was doing her usual school run for Community Academies of New Orleans. However, just after 7 am, Ms Rousseve felt the bus was losing power and black smoke began pouring from the vehicle. That's when a girl frantically told her there was a fire underneath the bus. Without wasting time, she grabbed each child off the bus through the front door.
''As soon as I saw the bus smoking, my instinct was to get them off of the bus. A little girl came up and told me the bus was on fire underneath. I got them off,'' bus driver Kia Rousseve told Fox 8.
She turned the bus off, stepped down to the street to wait for help and immediately heard a series of booms.
''I turned the bus off and got off. When I got off, the bus blew up. All I heard was, ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!' I was like, ‘Oh, my God, the bus blew up,'' she added.
The driver said she was thinking about her own child as she ushered the kids from the vehicle.
A statement providing details about the episode, which has gone viral, declared Ms Rousseve ''courage on wheels''.
It added: ''Her ability to stay calm in the face of danger, ensuring not a single child came to harm is nothing short of heroic. It's a poignant reminder of the crucial role bus drivers play in our children's lives, often going unnoticed until a moment of crisis thrusts them into the spotlight.''
Ms Rousseve said she believes a faulty alternator is to blame for the fire. Her supervisor also sent her a text message thanking her for ''making sure the babies were safe''.
''I'm just happy and glad that God was with me and I got the kids off the bus and got myself off the bus,'' Ms Rousseve said in an interview.
