Local hero: Zum driver in St. Louis saves dog from burning home

Last week Taron Jackson, a Zum driver in St. Louis, had just dropped off the last students on his bus at home when he noticed black smoke billowing from behind a nearby house.

Sensing something was wrong, he parked the school bus and went to investigate. After seeing flames, he called the fire department and “immediately jumped into survival mode.”

“Something just came over me,” Jackson says. “As soon as I kicked in the door, big black smoke came up so quick it hit me in the face. I dropped to my knees, and I’m screaming, ‘IS ANYONE IN HERE?’ Then, a dog ran out and tried to run back into the home. I pulled him back out.” 

When another bystander approached, Jackson instructed him to hold on to the dog. He then grabbed a garden hose, began spraying and kept yelling in case someone was inside. 

“I’m thinking the dog had stayed inside the home because his owner was inside,” he says. “It really made me nervous — dogs are smart.” 

He ran to neighbors’ houses to warn them of the fire; most of them hadn’t noticed the smoke or the smell. Finally, firefighters arrived and spent the next 20-25 minutes extinguishing the flames.

“(The fire chief told me) that, fortunately, no one was in there, and I did save the dog,” Jackson said. “I’m really thankful that God put me there at that time.”

Jackson began working at Zum in August, when Zum launched its partnership with Saint Louis Public Schools. Previously, he had worked as a driver for a local bus company.

“Taron exemplifies someone who truly cares about his community and, through his actions, makes it a better place to live,” says Jean Gordils, Local Manager at Zum. “We are grateful for his quick response and fortunate to have him on Zum’s team safely transporting children to and from school each day.”

“At that time, I wasn’t a bus driver. I was just trying to save lives,” Jackson says. “That could have been anyone — that could have been me, and I would want somebody to do the same.” 

Jackson adds that the incident has made him even more aware of his surroundings, both on his daily bus route and off the clock.

“I watch everything,” he says. “And if I’m needed, I will be there.”