Pregnant bus driver saves kids before bus goes up in flames, Wisconsin reports say

A pregnant school bus driver guided students to safety moments before the bus ignited in flames, Wisconsin reports say.

The bus fire happened around 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, in Milwaukee, according to WITI.

Video shared on social media shows smoke filling the bus and flames visible in the front of the cabin as a firetruck pulled up.

The school bus was empty when firefighters arrived, and no one was injured, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

Imunek Williams, the pregnant bus driver, is to thank for everyone being safe, according to media reports. She told WISN she “smelled something funny” at a stop light and pulled the bus over after noticing thick smoke.

“I was like, OK, let’s just get off the bus,” Williams told WISN. “I just told the kids, let’s get off. I evacuated the bus, made sure everyone was off, and made them line up against a gate. And as soon as we stepped off the bus, I turned around and the bus was just ... in flames.”

It’s unclear what started the fire.

Williams said her “mommy instincts” kicked in as she kept the students safe, according to TMJ.

“I was the last person off. Once I get off, I turned around and I just seen flames,” Williams, who is eight months pregnant, told TMJ. “I wanted to make sure that I was safe, baby was safe and you know if it was my kid on the bus I would’ve wanted one of the bus drivers to act the same way that I did.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2023 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Pregnant bus driver saves kids before bus goes up in flames, Wisconsin reports say."