Bus Driver Accused Of Lighting School Bus On Fire With 42 Kids On Board

A Utah school bus driver was detained Saturday after being accused of setting a bus on fire on two occasions, the first involving dozens of kids on board, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah announced.

Former Granite School District bus driver Michael Austin Ford, 58, of West Valley City, Utah, was indicted last month and is facing two counts of arson of a vehicle of an organization receiving federal funds. Prosecutors alleged thatvideo evidence shows him using “an ignition device” to start a fire with 42 kids on board in February 2022.

According to the announcement, the video also shows Ford continuing to drive the bus into traffic “despite smoke billowing past his face towards the back of the bus where children were seated.”

According to the prosecutors’ motion for detention, the video shows Ford stopping the bus “when children are seen and heard on video coughing, covering their faces, and complaining about smoke.”

In a statement to HuffPost on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Granite School District said students were able to evacuate through the regular doors and no one was injured.

The spokesperson added that, although the school district had its suspicions about the incident, there was no evidence that Ford was involved at the time.

“The District worked with law enforcement and installed additional camera systems on his bus and took other measures based on those suspicions,” the statement said.

Ford allegedly set another fire last April, which was also caught on video footage that was cited in a motion for detention. A snapshot from the footage showed no passengers on board the bus then.

“The entire fire, and the Defendant’s casual and long-delayed efforts to extinguish that fire, are captured on video,” the