GATES COUNTY, N.C. — Author's note: The video above is on file from a story that first aired in November 2021.
A school bus fire in Gates County, North Carolina, is leaving a community thankful that nobody was hurt.
Gates County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Barry Williams said the fire happened Wednesday morning when bus #90 was bringing students to school.
After an unknown mechanical issue started a fire, Williams said driver Cindy Jefferson and her assistant acted quickly and heroically to get all the students off the bus.
The school district immediately notified parents, EMS and law enforcement about what happened, and called another bus to take the children to school.
"No one, thank God, Lord Jesus Christ, no one was injured," Williams said. "You just don't know how that makes you feel, when you do things right and everyone's okay."
Williams said it's not clear yet what caused the fire. That's still being investigated. He told 13News Now that the GCPS transportation team will see if this school bus fire had anything in common with the one that happened in Surry on March 24. (Quick thinking saved everyone on that bus, too.)
School bus #90 was totaled by the fire.
Williams said the district will soon be honoring Jefferson for her bravery.