Two California farmers are being called heroes after they jumped into action to save more than 20 students from a burning school bus.
Angel Zarco and Carlos Perea were driving near Madera County when they spotted smoke pouring from the back of the bus, before even the driver noticed. They rushed to alert her and helped get every single student to safety just minutes before flames took over.
“We were just making sure the kids were far away enough so that they wouldn’t get hurt,” Zarco said. “The bus caught fire right away, probably within like two minutes, three minutes. It all happened right away.”
At a recent Madera County Board of Supervisors meeting, the two were honored for acting to the “very highest standards.” California Fire Division Chief Larry Pendarvis thanked them on ABC30 Action News, saying, “We can’t thank you enough for assisting prior to our resources arriving. Buses can be replaced, but lives cannot.”
For Perea, it was a moment he’ll never forget. “I believe the Good Lord had put us at that intersection that morning to save those kids,” he said, adding that seeing his daughter among the onlookers at the ceremony “was one of the best feelings I could imagine.”
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