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No one injured in school bus fire in Leawood

No one injured in school bus fire in Leawood
Posted at 4:18 PM, Mar 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-31 23:19:46-04

A school bus caught fire in Leawood, Kansas Friday afternoon.

Police said the fire started around 3 p.m. after the driver noticed smoke coming out of a vent.

Leawood police said two students were also on the Overland Trail Middle School bus at 131st Street and High Drive at the time.

The driver stopped and got the two students safely off the bus.

No one was injured. 

Cristen Summers, who lives down the street from where the bus pulled over, said she sensed trouble when she saw black smoke in the distance.

After seeing the bus on fire on High Drive, she recorded the incident on her cellphone.

"Seeing it as a school bus was the most frightening part," she said. "The tears started flowing after a little bit because it's frightening."

Ron Clary, who lives only a few doors down from the fire scene, could remember the moment he first saw the fire.

"We heard a loud pop and then started seeing the smoke outside the windows," he explained. "It really spread quickly to the front to the back of the bus in just a matter of minutes. It was totally covered in fire."

After seeing the large flames and heavy smoke from the fire, neighbors praised the bus driver for getting the students off the bus safely.

"Thank God; the bus driver is a hero for getting those kids off and just knowing what to do and doing her job," Summers said.

Durham School Services operated the bus that caught on fire.

On Friday evening, a staff member told 41 Action News the company is continuing to investigate the cause of the fire.