Members of Christian rock band Sanctus Real of Toledo are safe but wondering how they'll get to their next show after their tour bus was destroyed by a fire early Sunday in rural Pennyslvania.

Nine adults and four children were aboard the 1999 Prevost tour bus when driver Stephanie Heisinger of Swanton looked in the mirror just before 4 a.m. and saw flames shooting out of the rear engine.

"I pulled over as best as I could … and ran to the back of the bus and shouted, 'Everybody get off! The bus is on fire!' Everybody was asleep," Ms. Heisinger said Monday.

The two-time Grammy-nominated band had been on the road about five hours, returning from a concert at Six Flags amusement park in Maryland, when guitarist Chris Rohman said he sensed something was wrong. He was "kind of asleep," he said, when he felt the bus roll over rumble strips and come to an abrupt halt, then heard the diesel engine shut off. "I knew that was bad news," he said.

After yelling for everyone to get off, Ms. Heisinger said she grabbed her cell phone and dialed 911.

Once everyone was accounted for, which took "about a minute," she said, she ran to the nearest mile marker on the Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-76 to get their location. They were "in the middle of nowhere" at mile marker 44.7, between Pittsburgh and the Ohio border, she said.

The Gastonia post of the Pennsylvania State Police said in a report the bus was in Indiana Township in Allegheny County.

Mr. Rohman said it was an eerie scene to be standing on the roadside watching helplessly as the bus went up in flames.

"As soon as I rushed off the bus, in the dead of night, the engine wasn't on and all you could hear was this whooshing of fire," he said. "It was a big, big fire."

Police arrived in about 10 minutes and firefighters began arriving in 15 to 20 minutes, Ms. Heisinger and Mr. Rohman said.

Flames were shooting far above the bus' 12-foot, 9-inch roof by the time emergency crews arrived. Firefighters had to call for more water several times because there were no hydrants nearby, Ms. Heisinger said. One firefighter fell off a ladder and apparently broke his arm or wrist while dousing the flames, she said.

The westbound lanes of the turnpike were closed for four hours while firefighters battled the blaze and poured water on the bus' smouldering remains, state police said.

Mr. Rohman said the passengers ran out with just the clothes on their backs -- mostly pajamas -- leaving behind such personal items as cell phones and laptops. The band was hauling its musical gear behind the bus in a separate trailer and that was undamaged, he said. Also, two cargo bays at the bottom of the bus containing suitcases and several guitars were undamaged by the smoke, flames, and water, Mr. Rohman said.

Sanctus Real, founded in Toledo in 1996, has released five albums on Sparrow Records and was nominated for Grammy Awards in 2011 for the album "Pieces of a Real Heart" and in 2008 for "We Need Each Other."

The band has concerts scheduled this month in Ohio, Georgia, Texas, and California, and is slated to perform Aug. 11 at the Stroh Center at Bowling Green State University. Mr. Rohman said they are working on arrangements for the upcoming shows while awaiting word on insurance coverage. He said the bus has been well maintained and is valued at "well over $100,000."

Sanctus Real's current lineup features original members Mr. Rohman on guitar, singer-guitarist Matt Hammitt, and drummer Mark Graalman, all of the Toledo area, and bassist Dan Gartley and guitarist Pete Prevost, both of Nashville. The five musicians, Mr. Hammitt's wife, Sarah, two crew members, Ms. Heisinger, and four children age 3 to 7 -- the Hammitts' two daughters and Mr. Graalman's two boys -- were on the bus when it caught fire.

Ms. Heisinger, who has been driving for Sanctus Real for 2 1/2 years, said the only warning was when the headlights dimmed and the gauges reset, after which she looked in the mirror and saw the flames.

"We're very thankful for God's protection because it could have been much worse," she said.

Contact David Yonke at: dyonke@theblade.com or 419-724-6154.

First Published June 5, 2012, 4:15 a.m.