Coppell ISD school bus bursts into flames

IRVING, Texas - A Coppell ISD school bus driver is being credited for his quick thinking at the first sign of smoke everyone got out safely before the bus went up in flames Wednesday morning on the way to school.

It was a scenario that could have been a lot worse. The dramatic pictures prove it.

Cell phone video from passerby Juan Vasquez shows the bus just off Highway 161 between Royal and McArthur. The school bus had flames shooting through every window and door when firefighters arrived.

The quick-thinking bus driver pulled off the road to an isolated place and evacuated two students and a bus monitor who were on their way to Valley Ranch Elementary School. They managed to clear the bus before any sign of flames.

According to Coppell ISD, the bus was purchased from the now-defunct Dallas County Schools.

“We have no idea what caused it at this time,” said Coppell ISD Spokesperson Amanda Simpson. “We are still looking into that to determine it.”

The district says three buses of the same make, model and fuel type are undergoing safety inspections along with additional inspections of the entire fleet.

Generally, the buses are inspected every 120 days. The bus that caught on fire was last inspected August 3rd.

Irving Assistant Fire Chief J. Taylor says what played out was the best case scenario given the circumstances.

It’s not yet clear what caused the fire.