Quick-Thinking Bus Driver 'From Heaven' Saves 22 Kids During Raging Wildfire
November 27, 2018

[featured_content]
After his family evacuated during the raging California Camp Fire, Kevin McKay stayed behind. He felt he had a duty to get students to safety by responding to an emergency call from Ponderosa Elementary. Battling terrifying conditions compared to Armaggedeon, the heroic bus driver from Heaven delivered 22 kids to safety. And his heroic tale is truly inspiring!
RELATED: California Pastor Recalls How Church Miraculously Survived Wildfire Untouched
When Kevin McKay received an emergency call from Ponderosa Elementary requesting help evacuating during the fast-moving Camp Fire, he knew he had to help. The parents who were able had already arrived to pick up their kids. But nearly two dozen children remained stranded with their undoubtedly terrified family members unable to make it to the school.
As 22 students and two teachers loaded the bus, Kevin prepared to do everything in his power to get them safely away from the raging inferno.
"We're you scared?" one reporter asked following the five-hour trek through smoke, flames, and gridlocked traffic.
"Yeah, frightened. Absolutely," Kevin McKay replied.
Credit: CBS News/KAMR NewsBut the heroic bus driver did let fear stop him. And God saw him through his courageous task!
Heroic Bus Driver Rescues 22 Kids
29-year-old kindergarten teacher Abbie Davis and 50-year-old second-grade teacher Mary Ludwig boarded the bus with the children as they headed into the menacing conditions.
"It was very scary. It felt like Armageddon," Mary recalled.
Kevin urged the teachers to comfort and distract the kids. But it was impossible to miss the flames raging around them.
"When we started to leave the school, we saw one fire, then we saw more," 7-year-old Wendy Reeves said.
The adults were just as terrified as the kids. But they refused to let it show.
"I held back from crying the entire time," Abbie Davis recalled. "But we were so focused on those kids, and that great responsibility is what really kept us focused."
Kevin navigated through the mess as best he could. But the roads were jam-packed with other vehicles fleeing the fire. And soon, smoke not only covered the road ahead but began filling the bus as well.
RELATED: Nurse Tamara Ferguson’s Harrowing Story Of Surviving The California Wildfire
Again, Kevin knew he must do something. So, he ripped off his shirt. He and the teachers tore it into pieces. They used a water bottle to moisten each piece of cloth before handing it to each child so they could cover their nose and mouth.
"We were coughing and my eyes were hurting," Kevin explained. "I knew we had to do something. And that was, you know, our best option with what we had."
Prayers Answered For Bus Driver From Heaven
Traffic stood still. Smoke and fire raged all around them. At one point, another vehicle even sideswiped the bus.
Terrified, the teachers turned to the Almighty for protection over them and their students.
"We were both trying to keep each other from crying. And we just kind of held hands and… we just said a prayer," second-grade teacher Mary Ludwig said.
At last, after five hours of torment, the bus arrived safely and the children reunited with their worried parents.
"We didn't leave until every kid was accounted for, and every kid was with their mom and dad," Kevin said.
WATCH: Bus Driver Kevin McKay & Others Recall Scary Evacuation
Kevin had already lost his home, which burned to the ground. But the quick-thinking bus driver won in so many other ways, with his family safely evacuated and his students out of harm's way, too.
Kevin remained incredibly humble about his heroic act, praising the brave firefighters heading into the fire versus away from it. But the families of the 22 kids and two teachers he helped rescue won't soon forget Kevin McKay's courage. God certainly used him for a big job that day!
"We had the bus driver from heaven," teacher Mary Ludwig said.
h/t: CNN
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: School Bus Driver Hunts Down Little Boy Crying In The Freezing Cold
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Accept God's Call - Your Daily Prayer - May 17
What if God called you to act? Discover the power—and the struggle—behind saying, ‘Here I am, send me.’
Today's Devotional
A Prayer to Accept God's Call - Your Daily Prayer - May 17
What if God called you to act? Discover the power—and the struggle—behind saying, ‘Here I am, send me.’
Past Stories
- Brothers Discover 1976 Message in a Bottle, Then Find the Man Who Wrote It
- California High School Discovers They Have 14 Sets of Twins in Their Graduating Class
- Paralyzed Pup Tyrion Finds New Life With a Doggie Wheelchair
- Autistic 8-Year-Old Boy Goes Missing, Found by Water Thanks to Quick Response
- Two Nurses Come to the Rescue of a Teen Girl in the Process of Being Kidnapped
- She Hired a Private Detective and Found the Sisters She Never Knew She Had
- Brave Man Jumps Into Water to Save Woman After She Was Attacked By Bull Shark
- She Was Going to Miss Prom After Breaking Her Back at a Trampoline Park, the Hospital Had Other Plans
- Mom Finds Hope After Tragedy, Hears Her Daughter’s Heartbeat in a Child Who Got a Second Chance
- 90-Year-Old Cancer Survivor Has Saved Over 10,000 Animals, and She’s Still Not Slowing Down
- First Responders Rescue 9-Month-Old From House Fire By Going Through Window
- Playful Black Bear Climbs Playground and Rides the Slide, Just Like a Kid
- Singer Michael Bolton Opens Up About His Aggressive Brain Cancer Diagnosis
- Brave 5-Year-Old Climbs 35 Feet Up a Tree, Firefighters Rush to the Rescue
- Woman Finds Her Father After Almost 28 Years — And Learns the Truth About Why He Left
- Woman Saves Her Late Son’s Best Friend’s Mom With a Life-Changing Donation
- An Indie Bookstore Asked for Help, What Happened Next Will Warm Your Heart
- From Teen Sweethearts to 80 Years of Marriage: ‘God Was So Good to Give Him to Me’
- WWII Veteran Celebrates His 101st Birthday and 75 Years of Marriage to His Loving Wife
- 88-Year-Old Korean War Veteran and Great-Grandfather Graduates From College
- One Year After Losing Boys in a Fire, Parents Find Light in the Form of a Beautiful Blessing
- They Dress Up As Disney Princesses to Bring Joy and Hope to Sick Children, and it's Amazing
- This Couple Parents Triplets and Foster Sons from Wheelchairs, and It’ll Leave You Inspired
- Two-Year-Old is Found By Rancher's Dog After Walking 7 Miles From Home
- Couple Reunites 15-Year-Old Blind Dog With Owners After Finding Her in the Wilderness
- He Saved Her Life in a Pool Accident Five Years Ago, Now They Are Engaged
- Actress Chrissy Metz Left Hollywood For Nashville and She Couldn't Be Happier
- Stranger Helps 81-Year-Old Waitress Who Couldn't Afford to Retire, Now Her Prayers Have Been Answered
- 49-Year-Old Melanie Barratt Becomes First Blind Woman to Swim the English Channel
- 9-Year-Old Boy Remembered By Teacher and Community After Being Swept Away By Flood Waters
- 16-Year-Old Heard a Family's Cries and Saved Them From a House Fire
- Family Grows From 4 to 8 Overnight After Welcoming Identical Quadruplet Daughters
- Little Girl With Autism Reminds Others of Snow White and Her Connection to Animals
- Candace Cameron Bure Shares Fantastic News That Former Co-star, Dave Coulier, is Cancer-Free
- Soldier is Reunited With the Dog She Served With While Deployed
- Her Grandfather Kept a Log of Every Memory He Had With Her Grandmother, and It's Precious
- This 30-Year-Old Feline Might Just Be the World's Oldest Cat
- Special Messages About Love From Kindergarten Class Displayed at Teacher's Wedding
- A Sneaky Brown Tree Snake Slithers Into An Oven in Australia, and Luckily Doesn't Get Cooked
- Florida Man Meets the Son Who Had Been Searching For Him For Almost 40 Years
- Four-Year-Old Sends Out a Message in a Bottle, Receives Reply Less Than Two Weeks Later
- Delivery Driver Saves Woman's Life After Double Checking When Something Didn't Seem Right
- Woman in Heels Stops Robbery at Convenience Store With Her Impressive Martial Arts Skills
- Man That Survived More Than 90 Days at Sea Thought About His Mother Every Single Day
- Quick Thinking 9-Year-Old Saves Choking Friend During Snack Time Emergency
- Video Store Owner Creates 'Christina's Corner' For a Long-Time Customer
- Texas Man Gets Married in the Hospital After Kidney Transplant
- A Bride to Be and Her Best Friend Have Plane to Themselves and Enjoy Every Minute of it
- Dogs Come to School to Help Comfort Young Students Affected by the Eaton Fire
- Toddler Braves the Dark to Save His Great-Grandma
Top Artists
Top Music Videos

Danny Gokey Danny Gokey's Powerful 'Open Up The Gates' Lyric Video

Oak Ridge Boys 'Jesus Is Coming Soon' The Oak Ridge Boys

Alabama Live Performance of 'Because He Lives' by Alabama

Oak Ridge Boys 'Because He Lives' Classic Performance From The Oak Ridge Boys

Colton Dixon 'The Other Side' - Colton Dixon Song For Lost Loved Ones
Blog
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.