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A driver quickly evacuated 25 children from a bus shortly before it burst into flames near the town of Lecco in the Italian province of Sondrio on Tuesday, according to emergency services.

The vehicle was travelling in a tunnel along the northbound lane of the Superstrada 36 near Lierna in Lecco at 10am when the driver realised something was wrong, The Local reported.

He managed to get the children from the province of Como off the bus before it exploded into flames, engulfing it and completely gutting the vehicle.

Driver Mauro Mascetti told news outlet TGCom 24, “Once I understood what had happened I did not hesitate to protect the passengers by getting them off the bus and arranging for them to be taken to safety.”

After the children were safe, Mascetti tried to put out the fire but couldn’t manage. “The priority was to save the children’s lives,” he added.

Five fire brigade teams from the Lecco and Bellano departments arrived on scene to extinguish the flames and move the bus to a safe area.

The fire service tweeted that passengers on board were unharmed and that teams were working to clear the road.

No ambulances were needed, but seven of the 25 children between 14 – 16 years old were taken to hospital for examination, reported news agency Ansa.

They are believed to have inhaled smoke, but their condition is not a cause for concern.