'Insane.' Brookfield mom recalls fiery school bus crash in front of her home, thanks first responders

A routine ride home from school ended with a crash and a van engulfed in flames. Brookfield police say the van slammed into the back of the school bus on Candlewood Lake Road just after 3.15 Monday afternoon. I hear a huge sound. It was a crash. And I was like, what is happening here? The crash happened right in front of Andrea Ruiz's home. Her 14-year-old son was on the bus and preparing to get off. The crash was insane. I was scared. I was running, and I was screaming, where is my son? Where is my son? Thankfully, her son was okay. She says so were the roughly two dozen other middle school students on board. With kids shaken up and the van on fire, Ruiz welcomed everyone into her home as they waited for help to get there. All of them were screaming, yelling, and they were scared. When firefighters arrived, everyone was out of the bus and the van, but the van had rolled down this way into the woods and caught that area on fire. Crews put out those flames and also dealt with a large fluid spill. DEP also responded for the cleanup. Fire officials say EMS evaluated everyone involved in both vehicles. Remarkably, no one was seriously hurt or taken to the hospital. I was thinking the worst, but thank God everything is perfect. All of them are fine, and I think it's fine. All of them are safe. Police say the cause of the crash remains under investigation. Ruiz is just grateful for the response. Police, fire, EMS, all of them were incredible. In Brookfield, Marissa Alter, News 12.