GRAND TURK, Turks and Caicos Islands — A Lakeland pastor was one of many passengers on board as a fire broke out on the Carnival Freedom in Grand Turk on Thursday.
“We were pulling in to Grand Turks this morning and there was a lot of vibration in the back of the ship," Matt Gilmore explained. He said moments later, he looked out his window and saw a ton of smoke.
Gilmore said it didn't take long for debris to start falling into the water.
“There was a little bit of fear going on you could see it in everyone’s eyes," he explained.
The cruise ship ported at Port Canaveral and left on Monday. Gilmore said they are now in Grand Turk and are waiting for another ship to pick them up. He said crew members told passengers they should arrive back in Port Canaveral by Monday.
In a video taken by another passenger Katie Bushnell, you can see crews attempting to put out the flames. The Carnival Cruise Line said their emergency response team worked to quickly put out the flames.
They said in a statement that the fire started in the ship's funnel. They said no passengers or crew members were injured.
Gilmore said a lot of passengers were frustrated, but he is just thankful everyone is okay.
"It's not like they planned it and now we are just going to make the best out of it," he said.
The ship has 13 decks onboard. Officials say around 2,500 passengers were sailing on this ship and over 1,000 crew members. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.