Bus driver rescued from flaming vehicle by passers-by

A driver has made a miraculous escape after the school bus he was driving through Newcastle burst into flames on Monday morning.

Residents of Thornton told police that they had heard ‘a loud bang’ as the Hunter Valley Buses vehicle caught fire at about 8.45am.

Good samaritans rushed to Railway Avenue and rescued the driver, who was luckily the sole occupant of the bus at the time as the incident occurred after school drop-off time. 

 Black smoke billowed into the air in Thornton after a school bus burst into flames at 8.45am

‘We heard this massive bang, we thought something had hit the house,’ a witness told the Maitland Mercury.

‘We went outside and saw the bus coming around the corner with the rear right tyre on fire. By the time [NSW Fire and Rescue] got here, the whole bus was on fire.’

 ‘By the time [NSW Fire and Rescue] got here, the whole bus was on fire,’ a witness told media

A witness (right) rushed onto the bus to help the driver while another used the fire extinguisher

Some passers-by rushed to help the driver escape the bus before it was completely burnt out

‘There was just smoke pouring out of the bus and the bus driving was sitting on it,’ said a witness who helped the bus driver disembark before he was injured.

Another passer-by used the fire extinguisher on board to try and douse the flames before emergency personnel arrived, according to Channel 7.

An investigation is underway, but it is believed that the fire started in the vehicle’s rear engine.