School bus becomes fireball as Minnesota fire truck retreats

IT could have been a catastrophe.

The engine of a school bus, used by the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District in St Paul, Minnesota, caught fire as it headed down an exit ramp of Interstate 94 in Maplewood.

Fortunately there were no schoolchildren on board and Minnesota State Patrol Lieutenant Eric Roeske said the bus driver was able to get off the bus unharmed, KSTP-TV reported.

The fire began to spread throughout the vehicle, shooting flames and heavy black smoke into the sky.

Then the school bus tued into a runaway fireball and headed straight towards a parked fire truck.

Bystanders can be heard on the video whistling and yelling at the firefighters to move the truck as the runaway bus fireball got closer and closer.

A fireman jumped in and quickly reversed the truck as the bus comes within metres of hitting it.

The bus rolled off the roadway and onto some grass where it took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the blaze.