Possible Lightning Strike Causes Funnel Fire on Carnival Cruise Ship

On March 23, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Freedom experienced a funnel fire while at sea in the Bahamas. The cruise line stated that there were no injuries and the ship was operating normally as the cause of the fire was being investigated. The 110,000-ton ship was on a 4-night cruise from Port Canaveral to the Bahamas and had canceled a port call due to stormy weather and rough seas.

Passengers reported seeing the fire after a possible lightning strike, with the fire burning on the ship’s funnel wing. The captain warned passengers to stay away from outside decks and balconies while fire teams worked to extinguish the fire. The ship turned into nearby rainstorms to help put out the fire, which was eventually extinguished after about two hours. The ship is now heading to its next port in Freeport on Grand Bahama.

This incident comes nearly two years after the same ship experienced a funnel fire while docked in the Bahamas. The previous fire led to the ship being briefly taken out of service, with passengers transferred to another ship. The ship returned to service without its signature whale tail on the funnel until it was restored during a dry docking. Carnival does not expect any impact on the next voyage following this latest funnel fire incident.

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