Quick-thinking mother prevents tragedy after East Bethel school bus catches fire

Mother prevents tragedy in East Bethel school bus fire

A quick-thinking mom helped avert a potential tragedy when a bus caught fire in East Bethel. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has the story.

EAST BETHEL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A quick-thinking mom helped avert a potential tragedy when a bus caught fire in East Bethel.

Bus fire and quick response

What we know:

Kari Thorp noticed flames near the bus tire, and immediately alerted the driver. Her quick actions ensured that all the children and the driver got off the bus safely.

Thorp had just walked out of her home to help her 6-year-old daughter off the bus. That’s when she realized something was wrong.

"Right above the tire I just saw a burst of flame when I walked out. and as soon as she got off the bus, it kind of exploded under there too, so like a bigger flame then it just was smoke coming from the bus," Thorp said.

All of the 22 children initially gathered on Thorp's porch, visibly shaken by the incident. 

"The kids were scared. A lot of them were crying, some of them had backpacks and lunch boxes on there so they were kinda worried about that," she said.

After everyone moved down the street and the fire trucks arrived, the bus tires exploded. It was incredibly loud. and Thorp said very scary.

Community gratitude

What they're saying:

A week after the incident, the community came together to express their gratitude. They presented the bus driver with a "thankful basket" and surprised Thorp with one as well.

"A lot of emotions just keep coming up the more you talk about it, and realize how amazing this community is," Thorp shared.