KISSIMMEE, Fla. (WXMI) — A trip designed for fun with a little bit of marching time for a group of West Michigan students took a scary turn Sunday night. The bus they were riding in caught fire.
More than 50 students, staff and chaperons from Carson City-Crystal schools are in Florida this week. The high school marching band is scheduled to perform at both Disney World and Universal Studios.
The bus arrived in Orlando around 6 a.m. on Sunday. Too soon to check into their hotel, the group went to Disney's Magic Kingdom, spending the full day at the park.
"We had a blast yesterday enjoying Disney and enjoying each other," Band Director Chad Parmenter told FOX 17, WXYZ's Grand Rapids sister station, on Monday. "And you know, seeing the kids especially like first time been there. I had a couple kids first time to Florida, a couple kids first time out of Michigan. You know, just traveling with a good group of kids and and having new experiences with them."
On the road to the hotel around 9:30 p.m., the charter bus blew a tire. The driver pulled off to the shoulder of the highway.
A second tire blew. That's when smoke started to fill the bus. Adults and students saw flames on the outside of the bus.
"Jumping to action, which I thought that the kids like yeah, they were scared," said Parmenter. "The staff was scared but was really impressed on how everybody immediately jumped to action and was able to focus on the main thing, and that was get off the bus."
Everyone on the bus was able to make it off safely, but they all had to watch as the fire grew. Most had no time to even grab their carry-on bags. The equipment stored in compartments on the underside of the bus including the instruments and marching uniforms was trapped by the flames.
"All of our clothes, equipment, uniforms," said Parmenter. "Everything that we had in the inside of the bus was still on the bus."
Firefighters were able to put out the fire before it spread into the storage compartments, but damage from the smoke left the clothes unusable. Many students and parents had only the clothes they were wearing; outfits they'd spent in riding for hours in the bus and all day at Disney World.
The group finally made it to the hotel around 1 a.m. on Monday. The planned performance at Universal Studios already canceled.
"The kids seem to be doing very well," said Parmenter. "Last night was rough on them with just the emotion of seeing their stuff going up in flames."
"My seniors, you know, stepping up to plate and making sure my younger kids were good, even though my seniors were struggling."
The band director wanted to reassure parents not on the trip as chaperons that their children were being taken care of.
Parmenter says the new plan for Monday afternoon is to go shopping. The group that chartered the bus, Educational Tours, is helping to cover the cost of new clothes and other travel necessities.
"We're going to make sure that the kids, with the help of Educational Tours, make sure they have the rest of the clothes they need for the rest of the trip," said Parmenter.
Students will still get a day at Universal to ride the rides. Parmenter spent hours on the phone with the tour group, parents, and park administrators to preserve as much of the trip as possible.
Parmenter says while the ordeal was scary, there is a positive side of it too.
"You never want to build relationships and team building this way. But this is going to bring us closer and stronger," said Parmenter.
The Eagles marching band is scheduled to return to Michigan on Wednesday, this time on a different bus.
