Bad weather to put the fire out on our Carnival Freedom Ship!

A fire onboard the Bahamas-bound Carnival Freedom cruise ship caused a stir among passengers when flames and smoke were spotted pouring out of the ship's exhaust funnel. Reports suggest the fire broke out on the port side of the funnel around 3:15 p.m. local time, with witnesses speculating it may have been caused by a lightning strike. Despite efforts from the ship’s fire response team and the captain redirecting the vessel towards heavy rain to aid in extinguishing the blaze, it took about two hours to bring the fire under control. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries to guests, although two firefighting crew members suffered minor smoke inhalation.

The incident occurred approximately 20 miles off Eleuthera Island, Bahamas, as the ship was en route to Freeport. Passengers were reassured and able to attend dinner as planned that evening, despite being asked to remain in their cabins for several hours. Carnival Cruise Line later announced the cancellation of upcoming cruise trips scheduled to depart from Port Canaveral, Florida, citing the need for immediate repairs to stabilize the exhaust funnel. Full refunds and future cruise credits were offered to affected passengers.

This isn't the first time the Carnival Freedom has faced such an incident; a similar fire occurred less than two years ago in May 2022 while the ship was in Grand Turk. Thankfully, both incidents resulted in no injuries to passengers or crew, highlighting the importance of cruise safety protocols and preparedness in handling emergencies at sea.