The burned remains of the Paradise Elementary school is seen Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in Paradise, Calif. Blocks and blocks of homes and businesses in the Northern California town have been destroyed by a wildfire. Parts of the town of Paradise were still on fire on Friday. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Teacher: Bus drivers evacuated students amid California fire
CHICO, Calif. (AP) — A Northern California science teacher says heroic bus drivers arrived at schools to help evacuate students threatened by a deadly, fast-moving wildfire.
Paradise Unified School District science teacher Marc Kessler said Friday that teachers and staff also bundled frightened children into their cars Thursday after a sheriff's deputy told them to flee.
He said they drove through thick smoke and burning embers to get to evacuation centers in Chico and Gridley. He said some teachers were certain they would die in their cars with their students.
He said six bus drivers also helped evacuate students.
They reunited 125 students with their parents, some of whom had not had contact with their children for hours.