As flames encroached on Ponderosa Elementary School, 41-year-old Kevin McKay knew that something had to be done to evacuate the stricken children and teachers, and quickly. Sprinting into the building and ordering everyone to evacuate, McKay ripped his shirt into rags, doused them with water and handed them to the kids to help protect their lungs from the acrid smoke.

One of the teachers, Mary Ludwig, described the scene as total "Armageddon" as the inferno blazed all around them.

"It just kind of looked like we'd be headed into Mordor," McKay told CNN. (Screengrab Image: via CNN)

Then, more disaster. As the children were loaded onto the bus and driven out toward safety, they hit utter gridlock on the roads. Many of the youngsters started to complain about feeling tired and dizzy, clearly suffering from the effects of smoke inhalation.

With flames on every side, McKay and the teachers contemplated abandoning the bus and proceeding on foot. But the fire was too intense. The staff did everything they could to comfort the children as McKay crawled the bus along the jam-packed highway... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here

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