KANSAS CITY, KS (WFLA) – A quick-thinking Kansas City school bus driver saved students from a major fire.

The Hickman Mills School district said he is a hero for getting the students off the bus as flames ripped through it on Thursday.

“He had backpacks in his arms and he was just getting the kids off really fast,” witness James Davis told KSHB.

The fire started in the engine.

“It was completely melted in the front. All the windows had been shattered out due to the heat. It was pretty insane,” said neighbor Curtis Bennum.

Luckily, no students were injured and another bus picked them up to take them to school.

Parents are praising the bus driver for getting the children out within seconds and saving their lives.

“He had them exiting off the back, making sure they weren’t on the street, and getting them to the sidewalk. If he’s considered a hero, he should be,” said Davis.