Carmen Chavez heard a noise in the engine and observed smoke coming from under the bus' hood, according to the Cape Coral Fire Department's Facebook page.
Chavez immediately stopped and successfully and safely evacuated 25 middle school students who were on the bus. No one was injured, fire department officials told the News-Press.
The fire was quickly put out, and another bus took the students to school, the News-Press reported.
"I was just doing my job. I was protecting the kids," Chavez told WBBH. "I am responsible for them, and they are like my own. I love my job."
Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, and another bus took the students to school.
The fire was ruled accidental due to a mechanical failure, according to the fire department.
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