As a principal for Lincoln Elementary in Yankton, South Dakota, Paul Struck is used to noisy kids. But earlier this week, he heard a holler he couldn't ignore.
Struck says, "I was about ready to let the bus go when I heard a boy yelling and I said to the other supervisor, 'Why is he crying all the sudden? Which car is that coming from?' And all the sudden, I looked and there was fire coming from in between the seats, shooting up to the ceiling."
Struck immediately jumped into action and ran to the kids inside the burning vehicle.
"I ran over & I was able to get him out of the front and then there was another little boy in the back – 2nd seat, passenger side – but he was in a car seat, so I tried to hurry and grab him because I noticed another little boy in the back."
But he didn't act alone. A Yankton bus driver grabbed the fire extinguisher from his bus and put out the fire.
Dennis Sundleaf says, "Oh, it was just the reaction. At the right place at the right time, that's all that was."
In a matter of minutes, the children were safe and the fire was out. Now, both men are being called heroes.
Yankton Deputy Fire Chief, Larry Nickles, says, "Just like a firefighter, that puts them into hero status as far as I'm concerned."
The Yankton Fire Department later determined that it was the six year old boy in the front seat that used his mother's lighter to set a tissue on fire. And, while no one got hurt this time, officials say there are many lessons to be learned.
Nickles says, "The biggest one is leaving children that age in a vehicle. Don't leave smoking materials – matches & lighters & things at reach. All it takes is that one time."
Attempts to reach the family were unsuccessful. Authorities say the mother is still very shaken up over what happened, but has vowed to quit smoking.
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