Nova Scotia·NewAll children were safely evacuated after a school bus went up in flames on Thursday in Hammonds Plains, N.S.All children were safely evacuated, officials sayAndrew Sampson · CBC News · Posted: Jun 13, 2025 12:22 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 minute agoEyewitness captures moment school bus explodesThe bus, which was taking elementary students home from Hammonds Plains Consolidated School, was evacuated shortly before catching fire on Thursday afternoon.Chase Valiant was in the middle of making an afternoon snack when his day took a dramatic turn.”I was just making guacamole, going about my day, and I heard a big bang,” he said Friday, a day after the incident.He rushed outside his home, located on a quiet street in Hammonds Plains, N.S. only to find a school bus engulfed in flames, with thick black smoke permeating the air.”I was shocked, and I was just thinking, hoping, that everyone had gotten off the bus,” he said. The bus, which was taking elementary students home from Hammonds Plains Consolidated School, was evacuated shortly before the bus caught fire on Thursday afternoonBut Valiant didn’t know that at the time. It was only after he got confirmation that nobody was on the bus that he started taking video. Chase Valiant was inside his house when he heard a loud noise and went outside to find the school bus on fire. (Patrick Callaghan/CBC)In doing so, he captured another big bang on camera, documenting the moment when the front of the bus exploded again, sending flames, smoke and debris soaring.It took some time before the fire was extinguished, he said, and crews were still cleaning up the scene on Friday morning. “A bus exploding,” said Valiant. “Can’t say I’ve ever heard of that happening.”Students remained calm, says principalIn an email, Lynn Corkum, the school’s principal, told parents the bus driver pulled over on Carnoustie Drive and safely evacuated the students after noticing smoke coming from the engine. “They remained calm and followed the driver’s lead in a very scary situation,” said Corkum. “I am proud of everyone involved.” RCMP in Halifax say they responded to a report of the incident at around 3:40 p.m. on Thursday.Firefighters attempt to quell the smoke from a school bus that caught fire on Thursday in Hammonds Plains. (Chase Valiant)There were no injuries due to the fire itself, but one youth suffered minor injuries during the evacuation. Lindsey Bunin, a spokesperson for the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, said the incident is being investigated,”We are grateful to the driver, school leaders, and families for handling the situation with great care,” she said.With files from Maritime Noon
Dramatic video captures school bus explosion in Hammonds Plains
