MADERA, Calif. — Two local farmworkers are being hailed as heroes after saving 20 schoolchildren from a burning bus.
On Sept. 4, Carlos Perea Romero and Angel Zarco were at an intersection fixing a broken tractor when Perea noticed smoke rising from a Madera Unified school bus. Without hesitation, the men sprang into action.
“We were just making sure the kids were far away so they wouldn’t get hurt,” Zarco recalled. Romero added, “One more moment, and I don’t know what would have happened.”
Thick smoke filled the bus as the pair worked quickly, helping children from the back rows first. Moments later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. “The bus caught fire within like two, three minutes. It all happened so fast,” Zarco said.
Their quick thinking ensured all students evacuated safely, without a single injury. CAL FIRE Division Chief Larry Pendarvis emphasized the gravity of their actions: “Buses can be replaced, humans can’t.”
Perea and Zarco were formally recognized by the Madera County Board of Supervisors, with Perea’s daughter present to witness the ceremony. “God put you in that place for a reason. It was to help out the kids, help out the community,” Perea said.
Sheriff Tyson Pogue praised their bravery: “Their quick thinking, compassion, and selflessness saved lives. Our community is stronger because of individuals like them.”
The charred bus now stands as a reminder not of loss, but of courage. Romero and Zarco—ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances—have earned a permanent place in Madera’s story of heroism.
