While Florida is known for its hot summer, things got way too hot on a bus taking cruise guests home from their vacation over the weekend. 

A bus taking recently disembarked cruise passengers from their Florida cruise port to Georgia spontaneously caught fire on the morning of Saturday, July 5, 2025, while driving along Interstate 95 near Daytona Beach.

The cause of the fire is unknown at this time, but it seems like everything escalated quite quickly and without warning.

“We just came off a cruise. Fifty-four or 55 people having a good time, and then out of nowhere, there is chaos, fire. I mean, the truck burned to a crisp,” Tanetta Hampton, who was on the bus with her 7-month-old daughter Naomi, told 7 News Miami.

“I didn’t even think to grab my baby’s baby bag with her formula and diapers and things,” Hampton continued.

Hampton and her daughter had just disembarked from a Carnival cruise, although it’s not clear which ship they came from. However, this likely means other passengers were Carnival guests as well.

It’s also not known which cruise port or ship the recent guests were coming from, but Port Canaveral (Orlando) would be the closest port to Daytona Beach at around 60 miles away.

While all the cruisers were able to safely evacuate from the burning vehicle, most had to leave their luggage and personal belongings behind. 

Footage from witnesses shows the motor coach completely engulfed in bright orange flames and black smoke with luggage still stored just out of reach in the underbelly of the bus.

Hampton also spoke about the panic at the scene: “Some family trying to get their luggage, some family like, ‘Oh, it’s going to explode, get away,’ so it was a lot of emotions up.”

“People were like crying and tussling with each other, trying to save family from going, you know, towards the fire. That was the scariest part, was the panic of everybody even outside of the bus,” she added.

Thankfully, personal belongings can be replaced and no injuries or deaths have been reported – which is what really matters at the end of the day.

As a bit of a social media influencer, Hampton was recognized by one of her followers who picked up her family from the side of the road and drove them the rest of the way to Georgia.

The other passengers were picked up by another bus, which reportedly reached its destination safely.

Is Bus Travel Safe for Cruisers?

Although the cause of this bus fire has not been released, it was most likely a freak occurrence related to something like an electrical malfunction or fuel leak.

Authorities are already investigating the incident to determine the cause and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

But as this is the second bus incident in about two weeks, some cruise passengers may be wondering how safe traveling by bus really is.

Indeed, a school bus carrying 46 cruise passengers collided with an SUV in Ketchikan, Alaska, on June 26, 2025.

That said, thousands (if not millions) of cruise passengers board buses as part of shore excursions and to travel to and from their cruise ports every year with no issue.

Read Also: Florida Cruise Ports: Your Full Overview and Guide

Traveling to and from cruise ports via bus is a good option for cruisers trying to save a few bucks.

For example, a flight from Orlando (where Port Canaveral is) to Atlanta, Georgia, can cost $80 per person round-trip on the low end to over $300 at the high end.

There are bus stops either within or very close to Port Canaveral, PortMiami, Port Tampa Bay, and Port Everglades, so additional transportation methods, such as taking an Uber, would not be necessary.

Meanwhile, a bus from Port Canaveral to Atlanta takes just about a day and costs around $70 to $75 per person.

The Florida cruise ports also offer shuttle services to and from their local airports, with prices usually ranging between $20 to $40 for the trip.

55 Passengers Evacuated From Burning Bus Following Cruise