Hero Ger keeps his cool as bus with 44 children bursts into flames.

A hero coach driver was praised by gardaí after he drove the on-fire vehicle through a tunnel and brought the children on board to safety.

Shortly before 10.50am yesterday, Ger Mackey noticed a funny smell as he drove his bus from the East Cork approach to the traffic lights at the roundabout adjacent to the city’s Jack Lynch Tunnel.

He was carrying 44 children and five teachers from Kilcredan National School to the Sciath na Scoil finals in Páirc Uí Rinn, and thought for a moment that one of the youngsters onboard had let off a stink bomb.

But moments later, he saw smoke coming from the back of the coach.

“I drove as fast as I could through the tunnel. I then stopped on the other side [southern]. I didn’t want to panic the kids so I just walked back and looked under the bus and saw the fire. I walked back, opened the emergency door at the back of the bus, and told the children to get out. I asked the teachers to open the front door and take more of them out.”

He said they then walked the children to safety as the coach burst into flames.

“My overriding concern was my passengers,” said the Dungourney-based coach operator.

Supt Barry McPolin praised Mr Mackey’s quick actions and along with fire brigade officers, said that if he had stopped the coach in the tunnel, it could have had serious repercussions.

Gardaí closed the south- bound bore of the tunnel for more than an hour before five units of the fire brigade had doused the bus.

They later opened up one southbound lane. Traffic was backed up for a number of hours and diversions were put in place.

None of the children were injured, and they got some goods news later when Research Minister Seán Sherlock told teachers the school had been approved for funding for a long-awaited extension and refurbishment.

Mr Sherlock had been trying to contact principal Margaret Beausang to deliver the funding news at the time of the fire.

“I am relieved to hear that everybody is safe and well and I’m sure this was a disconcerting experience for the pupils. I hope the news helped to improve their day,” he said.

It was the second time in a few hours that traffic was disrupted on the M8. At around 4.30am yesterday, a truck jack-knifed near the Glanmire slip road.

While heavy machinery removed the truck, traffic restrictions remained in place and were only lifted at the height of rush hour.