Madera heroes honored for saving students from burning bus

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A potential nightmare for Madera Unified parents was prevented by a pair of unexpected heroes.

On Tuesday, the brave men responsible for saving the lives of 20 school children were honored by the Madera County Board of Supervisors and others.

September 4 started as a typical workday for Carlos Perea and Angel Zarco, until Perea noticed smoke coming from a Madera Unified school bus traveling near Avenue 8 and Road 23.5.

Without a second thought, the pair jumped into action.

"We were just making sure the kids were far away enough so that they wouldn't get hurt," Zarco said.

They alerted the driver and began evacuating the students inside, working through thick plumes of smoke to get to the students in the back row.

Moments later, the bus was quickly covered in roaring flames.

"The bus caught fire right away, probably within like two minutes, three minutes. It all happened right away," Zarco added.

The two men met at the intersection to fix a broken tractor, but Perea is now saying it was no coincidence.

"God put you in that place for a reason. It was to help out the kids, help out the community right there," Perea said.

The bus was left charred.

The bright yellow paint was reduced to an ashy grey.

CAL FIRE Division Chief Larry Pendarvis says he's grateful for the men's courageous choice.

"Buses can be replaced, humans can't," Pendarvis said.

Perea and Zarco will now forever be known as heroes in their hometown.

Perea's daughter was also in attendance for the proclamation. He told us it means everything to be recognized for such an amazing act in front of her.