‘I heard a really big bang’: School bus catches fire in Hammonds Plains, N.S.

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Fire burns NS school bus

Dramatic video: School bus catches fire in Nova Scotia

A school bus caught fire in Hammonds Plains, N.S., on Thursday.

The Halifax Professional Fire Fighters Association says crews responded to the fire and quickly brought it under control.

There were no reported injuries.

“I heard a really big bang and thought maybe something had fallen on my attic or my roof, so I went outside and my neighbour was standing outside and she gave me this look and I turn around and there’s this school bus on fire,” said local resident Chase Valiant.

“I didn’t know at that time the kids got off the bus because I could hear them yelling so it was really quite terrifying initially.”

Lindsey Bunin, communications officer for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, said the school bus driver noticed smoke coming from under the hood Thursday afternoon.

The driver stopped the vehicle on Carnoustie Drive and moved the children to a safe location.

The front end of the bus caught fire, according to Bunin.

“The children remained calm and followed the driver’s lead in a very scary situation,” Bunin said in an email. “We are grateful to the driver, school leaders and families for handling the situation with great care.

“HRCE’s Transportation Team is working closely with the bus provider, Southland, to understand why this happened. An investigation is now underway.”

-With files from Hafsa Arif

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