Mom and Bus Driver Save 22 Kids From School Bus Fire

When you’re a parent waiting for the school bus, your biggest worry is usually whether your child remembered their lunchbox. But for one Minnesota mom, what started as a normal afternoon school pickup turned into a life-or-death moment that showed the power of a parent’s instinct.

Earlier this month, Kari Thorp stepped outside her home in East Bethel, Minnesota, to meet her 6-year-old daughter as the bus pulled up. But instead of the usual routine, she spotted smoke—and then flames—coming from above one of the tires.

“As soon as I got out the door I noticed the first flame right above the tire, and I immediately yelled, ‘Fire!’” Thorp told Inside Edition. “I just wanted to get them off as quickly as we can because I didn’t know what was going to happen or how fast this fire would spread.”

Without hesitating, Thorp alerted the driver, Rick Gratton, and together they ushered all 22 children safely off the bus and onto her front porch. Just fifteen minutes later, the vehicle’s tires exploded and the entire bus was engulfed in flames.

“The kids were crying. Kids were scared and freaking out,” Thorp recalled to CBS News. “It was quite emotional and kind of frantic.” Some of the children were worried about their backpacks and lunchboxes still on the bus, but Thorp kept them calm until firefighters arrived.

The community quickly rallied behind the two heroes. Just a week later, neighbors surprised Thorp and Gratton with “thankful baskets” to show their appreciation for their bravery and fast action. “A lot of emotions just keep coming up the more you talk about it,” Thorp said. “And you realize how amazing this community is.”