Renita Smith, Maryland School Bus Driver, Saves 20 Children From Burning Vehicle
Renita Smith, a school bus driver with the Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland, is now being hailed a hero across the country after she single-handedly saved the lives of 20 elementary school children when the bus she was driving suddenly erupted in a blaze on Monday.
"I opened my door, took off my seat belt, and I got my babies off that bus," Smith told NBC Los Angeles.
According to WTVR, the fire which is still under investigation, was reported at about 4:45 p.m. Monday along the 9600 block of 51st Avenue in College Park. The children, all students at Glenarden Woods Elementary School in Prince George's County, all escaped the fire without injury.
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Mark Brady, the public information officer for Prince George's County, MD Fire and EMS Department, told KTLA5 that Smith was "was able to remain calm throughout the ordeal."
Neighbors who hurried outside to help told NBC that they were relieved to see so many children on the street after seeing the flames engulfing the school bus.
"This fire was going too fast. I had a little extinguisher," Lucy Kilin said. "It was too late. I couldn't do anything."
Another neighbor guided the children into her backyard while they waited for another bus.
Smith was so concerned about the children she went back into the blazing bus to make sure everyone was off.
"I ran back onto the bus to make sure that every seat was clear," she said.
Fazlul Kabir, Council Member at City of College Park and professor at the University of Maryland, had high praises for the bus driver.
"A big THANK YOU to our school bus driver (sic) Reneita Smith who just saved 20 elementary school kids from a bus fire that completely destroyed the bus. Not only Reneita took each one of the 20 kids from the bus one by one, but also went into the empty bus again to check if everyone was out, while it was still burning," Kabir wrote in a Facebook post that has since gone viral.
"I am a mom of two kids. It's my job to save them," Kabir said Smith told him.
Smith also brushed off public praise for her actions and told NBC Los Angeles that her maternal instincts took over once she realized the children were in danger.
"As I'm driving that bus, they're my babies," she said. "I'm their mom until I drop them off to their biological moms."
"I have people calling me a hero, and I say that I'm just a mom," she added.
Smith said she realized something was wrong with the bus when she saw the break light indicator illuminate. Witnesses also said they saw flames come from the wheel area.
The county did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the fire which was put out by the Branchville Volunteer Fire Company & Rescue Squad. The bus was written off as a total loss.
