Off-Duty School Bus Driver Runs Into Burning Building To Save His Students
He risked his life to make sure the kids were able to get out safely.
Drazen Zigic | Shutterstock A school bus driver is being labeled a hero for his quick thinking after students on his route found themselves in a terrifying situation after their house went up in flames.
Todd Morris, a 54-year-old bus driver from Jackson Township, Ohio, showed extraordinary courage when he risked his life to save four young children and the family's beloved pets.
The off-duty bus driver ran into a burning building to save the students he knew lived there.
Morris explained to TODAY that on January 22, he'd been driving his Toyota Tacoma when he spotted flames coming from a second-story window. Morris hadn't been on the clock that day and was driving his personal vehicle when he saw flames from a house that he recognized. He knew that Matt and Jordan Fisher lived there with their four young children, two of whom rode Morris's school bus.
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"My heart just dropped,” Morris told TODAY, adding that area schools were closed that day due to freezing temperatures. "All I could think was, 'My kids. My kids are inside.'" While anyone else probably would've just called 911 and left it at that, Morris, a former police officer, decided to take it a step further and rush inside the house to save the children.
When no one answered the door, Morris recalled kicking it in with his foot. He was immediately hit with a thick cloud of smoke, but after getting his bearings, he quickly took off for the house's second floor to try to find someone. "There was so much smoke I could barely see in front of me. It took me a second to orient myself and figure out which way I needed to go," Morris said. "The second floor was completely engulfed."
The bus driver made it into the house and saved his student's family dogs.
As Morris walked up to the second floor, he noticed that the roof of the house was slowly starting to collapse. When he eventually made his way back to the ground floor, he came face-to-face with the Fishers' two dogs, Lady and Cash. "They were staring at me like deer in headlights. They looked so scared," Morris continued. Cash, a German Shepard was unable to walk, so Morris picked him up and carried him to safety. "I put them both in my car."
He eventually entered the burning house again. He heard noises but couldn't differentiate where they were coming from. He knew that it was clear someone was still inside, and he was adamant about making sure they were able to get out.
Matt and Jordan Fisher were at work, and thankfully, their children, Brooklyn, 14, Riley, 10, Arizona, 8, and Dakota, 4, had spent the night with their grandparents.
Firefighters were able to get the fire under control before it spread.
When firefighters eventually arrived on the scene, they were able to get the fire under control within 90 minutes. Matt Fisher expressed his eternal gratitude for Morris saving their dogs and making sure his kids weren't in the house. He admitted to becoming "emotional" once he finally saw Morris.
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"Todd Morris is a hero," Matt Fisher said. "He risked his life to go in there and save my family. He didn't think twice. I gave him a big hug and thanked him for what he did. Our dogs mean everything to us. We've had them since they were pups. I was crying."
In such a circumstance, most people wouldn't have risked their own life to enter a burning building, but Morris's bravery and commitment to making sure that no one was going to perish drove him to complete a heroic act.
It's moments like this that prove how caring and compassionate people in this world can be despite the divide that we're experiencing right now.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.