School Bus Catches Fire While Driving Students Home — Mom Saves 22 Children in Dramatic Rescue

What began as an ordinary after-school drop-off in East Bethel, Minnesota, turned into a moment of chaos, courage, and quick thinking when a mother spotted her child’s school bus engulfed in flames — and raced to save two dozen children trapped inside.

Kari Thorp was waiting for her daughter’s bus to arrive outside her home earlier this month when she noticed something alarming — smoke curling from underneath the vehicle. Within seconds, orange flames erupted from the front of the bus.

“I just saw smoke and thought, ‘That’s not normal,’” Thorp recalled. “Then I saw fire. It was crazy. I’m just thankful the driver stayed so calm.”

Thorp ran toward the bus, shouting to alert the driver, 62-year-old Rick Gratton, who immediately stopped and began ushering students out.

Ring camera footage from Thorp’s front porch captured the dramatic evacuation. Twenty-two East Bethel Elementary students, some crying and clutching backpacks, scrambled onto the sidewalk as the fire spread rapidly.

“Kids were crying. Kids were scared and freaking out,” Thorp said. “It was emotional and frantic — we were just trying to get everyone out fast.”

Within minutes, the fire consumed the front of the bus. “It moved so fast,” Thorp said. “Probably within fifteen minutes, it was completely engulfed. You could hear the tires exploding.”

Volunteer firefighters and school staff rushed to the scene. The blaze was so intense that it melted parts of the asphalt and left shards of glass embedded in the street.

All 22 children escaped unharmed. The only losses were backpacks, lunchboxes, and the bus itself — now a charred shell.

Thorp and driver Rick Gratton are being hailed as heroes. Both were recognized by St. Francis Area Schools for their quick response. “Their fast actions prevented what could have been an unimaginable tragedy,” the district said in a statement.

Parents in the community also credited a recent school safety course for helping the children stay calm and follow evacuation procedures.

Thorp said she can’t stop thinking about how differently things could have gone. “If I hadn’t seen it, I don’t think he would have gotten very far,” she said. “And the fire started right in the front — that’s where all the little ones sit.”

Fire investigators are still determining what caused the blaze, though officials believe a mechanical failure may be to blame.

For Thorp, one image lingers — the moment the last child stepped off the bus before the front exploded into flames. “You never think something like this will happen right in front of your house,” she said. “I just thank God everyone made it home.”