The fires in California have been spreading non stop. Managing the flames has been difficult for firefighters with little improvement. Towns continue to be evacuated and stories of heroic acts are surfacing everywhere, giving us hope and encouragement. One recent rescue involved 22 young children and the bus driver who went above and beyond to save them.

Kevin McKay was a fairly new bus driver at Ponderosa Elementary School. He had been working for the company for less than a year. The area had an emergency evacuation due to the approaching wildfire and most of the school was empty.

Unfortunately there were a hand full of teachers and 22 children who were still there. The fire and smoke were overtaking the area and Kevin knew it was now or never. After speaking with the school administrator, everyone decided to get on the bus and leave.

As they attempted to escape, they were met with several challenges and moments of despair.

“It just kind of looked like we’d be headed into Mordor,” McKay described.

“The sky was really menacing. It was very scary. It felt like Armageddon,” said a teacher.

The streets were packed with other drivers attempting to flee. The smoke started to effect some of the children and their breathing. McKay offered his shirt. They ripped it into pieces, wet them and passed them out cover their noses.

“It was so crazy, and there were fires left and right everywhere you looked,” said a 10 year old student.

Everyone on the bus started to pray as things continued to get pretty scary. Adults on the bus made sure to get information from the kids to connect with their parents. They reviewed ways to be safe as the ride continued.

After about 5 hours of travel the group was finally okay and their prayers were answered.