A bus carrying 42 Marion County Elementary School kids caught fire this morning at Santa Fe College. 86 students from Dr. N H Jones Elementary School were traveling on two charter buses on a field trip to the Planetarium and Zoo at Santa Fe College. SFC Student Doug Prince immediately ran to help when he saw the bus start to smoke and catch fire.
“I spent 6 years in the Army and it’s just been engrained in me to make sure I help out in this situation where I can potentially save somebody or help somebody out,” he says.
No one was hurt in the accident and the kids are finishing their tours. Marion County Public Schools Spokesman Kevin Christian says it’s common for the county to use chartered buses on trips this far from their schools, and while the student’s parents have been notified of the incident, another bus has arrived to take the children back to school after the trip.