CENTRAL - Kids had to flee a burning school bus after it caught fire on its route Tuesday afternoon. 

The fire was first reported before 5 p.m. along Greenwell Springs Road in Central. The Central Fire Department said the bus was loaded when the fire started, but everyone had safely exited the bus by the time firefighters arrived. 

The Central Community School System said 18 students were on the bus when the fire started. The district said the driver saw and smelled smoke, and "made the quick decision to pull into an open parking lot and unload the students."

Parents were notified that they could pick up their children. A replacement bus delivered the rest to their homes.

Investigators with the Baton Rouge Fire Department said Wednesday morning that the cause of the fire was believed to be a mechanical failure in the engine compartment.