By Rose LoPiano
Correspondent
A Florida teacher is now being revered as a hero after rescuing 38 students from a burning bus. What began as a regular Wednesday morning for mathematics teacher Kristina Buhrman soon took a dangerous turn when a white cloud of smoke formed inside and around the bus.
The Discovery Lakes teacher was filling in for another bus driver on Wednesday, Dec. 3, as she usually does, but this route was different from the rest.
“Nothing was wrong throughout the entire route until we hit the Interstate as I started to notice smoke rolling down the outside of the bus,” Buhrman told CNN.
“It was a rather cold day and a bus I normally do not drive, so I assessed the situation and assumed it to be extra exhaust. However, a student in the back then stood up shouting, ‘Ms. Buhrman, there’s smoke coming out of my seat.’”
Buhrman immediately leapt into action. Maintaining a calm manner, she quickly pulled the bus over. While calling 911, the teacher evacuated all of the 38 children safely, making sure to line them up away from the bus and away from the nearby drainage pipe, according to CNN.
Help soon arrived at the scene after she led all the students away from the drainage ditch. Due to her courageous and quick actions, no one was harmed, according to CNN.
Parents, first responders and citizens alike all lauded Buhrman for her valiant act, but she felt that all the praise is unnecessary, CNN reported.
“I was just doing my job,” she told CNN. “I was put in a place that I had to protect the kids I’m there to protect, and that’s what we do.”
However, this is not the first time the teacher has been praised as a hero. Buhrman told CNN that one day leaving work, she noticed a car smoking on the side of the road. Approaching the driver, she saw that the woman’s head was gushing blood, so she helped her get out of the car and waited for help to arrive.
“You’ve got to do kind things for other people because that’s what this world’s about — people helping people, and that is something I try to teach my kids,” Buhrman said.
