Pregnant Driver Saves Students from Bus Moments Before It Catches Fire: 'Mommy Instincts Kicked In'

Imunek Williams, who is eight months pregnant, was driving her normal bus route in Milwaukee on Wednesday when the fire began

A pregnant school bus driver is being hailed a hero for evacuating her bus moments before it burst into flames.

The incident occurred just before 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday at the 1800 block of West Highland Avenue, the Milwaukee Police Department said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE.

Imunek Williams was driving her normal bus route in Milwaukee when she noticed something was wrong with the vehicle, according to ABC affiliate WISN-TV and NBC affiliate WTMJ-TV.

After detecting a strange smell and smoke coming from the bus, Williams pulled over and evacuated all 37 students from the vehicle, WISN-TV reported.

"My mommy instincts kicked in really fast," Williams, who is eight months pregnant, told WTMJ-TV.

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Smoke made it difficult for Williams to relay the dire message to dispatch after she pulled over, according to WTMJ-TV.

"I couldn't barely get what I was trying to say out because of the smoke was hitting me in the face in my eyes," she recalled.

The pregnant woman had all 37 students, ranging in age from kindergarten to high school, line up against a nearby gate while she “made sure everyone was off” the bus, according to WISN-TV. She managed to help everyone to safety — including herself — just in the nick of time.

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"I was the last person off," said Williams, per WTMJ-TV. “Once I get off, I turned around and I just seen flames.”

Williams was transported to a local hospital "as a precaution," the MPD said.

Milwaukee police confirmed that no one was on the bus when it burst into flames on Wednesday.

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"It just feels good that I was able to get them off and no one was hurt,” Williams, who was back out on her route the very next day, told WISN-TV. “That's just my biggest concern because if it was my kid on the bus, I would want the bus driver to do the exact same thing."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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