Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike
The cruise line said damage to the ship is "more than we first thought" and will require immediate repair to stabilize the funnel. Cruises scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on March 25th and March 29th have been canceled.
Carnival Cruise ship catches fire after possible lightning strike
Heath Barnes was a passenger on the Carnival Freedom ship when the boat's exhaust funnel caught fire during a thunderstorm. The ship is back at Port Canaveral for repairs.
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. – The Carnival Freedom ship caught fire Saturday near the Bahamas after passengers reported a lightning strike on the boat during a thunderstorm.
Carnival Cruise Line said the crew reported a fire on the port side of the ship's exhaust funnel around 3:15 p.m. Saturday. The ship was 20 miles off Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas, sailing to Freeport after being unable to dock at Princess Cay due to weather conditions.
"Our onboard team acted quickly to contain and put out the fire," Carnival Cruise Line said. "While we continue to investigate multiple eyewitness reports of a lightning strike, our technical team completed a thorough assessment during the ship’s visit to Freeport on Sunday."
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Around the time of the fire, radar showed a storm cell over the area and a lot of lightning activity.
Radar at 3:15 p.m. on March 23 when a Carnival Cruise ship was possibly hit by lightning.
(FOX Weather)
Multiple passenger videos show flames and dark smoke billowing from the exhaust funnel as rain continues to pour onto the deck.
Passenger Heath Barnes said the ship was supposed to dock at Princess Cay on Saturday about 9 a.m., but passengers were told that the boat would continue to Freeport due to strong winds.
During the afternoon, the rain returned, and passengers reported hearing loud thunder and then seeing the smoke. Soon after, guests were told to remain in their cabins.
Smoke and flames coming from the exhaust funnel of the Carnival Freedom cruise ship on Saturday, March 23, 2024.
(@breezebreeze_ via Storyful)
"Why is our tail on fire?" someone can be heard saying in the video recorded by Barnes. "That's not good, y'all."
On Monday, Carnival Freedom returned to Port Canaveral, where guests disembarked.
The cruise line said damage to the ship is "more than we first thought" and will require immediate repair to stabilize the funnel. Cruises scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral on March 25th and March 29th have been canceled. All guests on the canceled trips will receive a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit.
FOX Business reported that the same cruise ship caught on fire in 2022 after being struck by lightning.
Carnival Freedom cruise ship on fire
Video shows smoke and flames coming from the Carnival Freedom exhaust funnel on Saturday after a possible lightning strike. (video credit: Credit: @breezebreeze_ via Storyful)
Another video recorded on Saturday by X user @breezebreeze showed the fire on the ship.
"Carnival Freedom on fire AGAIN!!" they wrote on X.