Lady Antebellum’s Tour Bus On Fire After Tire Blow Out, Hillary Scott En Route To CMA

Lady Antebellum’s tour bus was on fire Thursday morning, and it went up in flames while on Interstate 30 in Garland, Texas, after a tire blew out, according to NBC Dallas/Ft. Worth. Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott, her husband, and the band’s tour manager were all on board when the driver’s fast thinking enabled everyone to evacuate safely.

Scott, her husband, and her tour manager had left Nashville, Tennessee, to make their way to Cowboys Stadium — now known as AT&T Stadium, according to the Inquisitr — in Arlington, Texas, to prepare for their upcoming appearance at the 50th Academy of Country Music Awards.

As the bus passed through Garland, Texas, on Interstate 30, the tire blew, and later caught fire.

According to CBS, Lady Antebellum’s Charles Kelley and Dave Haywood were not on the bus. There is no mention of where they were at the time of the incident, although they are likely to be headed to the ACMA as well.

The tire burst into flames only after the bus driver pulled over, and it all happened around 8:30 a.m., according to Mike Hatfield, who is a spokesperson for the Garland Police, via the Dallas Morning News.

Hatfield expressed his dismay at Scott having had this kind of experience in his city, implying he’d rather her remember Garland differently.

” ‘This is not how we would want her to remember the city of Garland,’ Hatfield said, ‘but we’re glad that she is safe and we’re glad that we can provide a service for them to get back on the road.’ “

According to Scott’s Instagram post about the incident, everyone evacuated quickly when the driver pulled the bus over, and everyone was “safe and sound.” Although no one was injured in the fire, the passengers’ personal belongings and the bus were destroyed.

After the incident, Scott, her husband, and her tour manager were able to board another bus so they could make it to Arlington in time to prepare for the show.

According to Billy Craven, captain of the Garland Fire Department via NBCDFW, the passengers were fortunate they had a fast-acting driver.

“‘As soon as he realized that he had a fire, he didn’t hesitate to get everyone off and then call 911,’ he said.”

In a second Instagram post, Scott talked about her experience with the fire, which turned out to be quite emotional. She said that she was sleeping in the back of the bus, where everyone’s personal belongings were stored.

Scott said, “I kid you not, EVERYTHING in the back lounge was destroyed from the flames, except my bible.” She added that though the Bible’s cover was charred, it was not missing any pages.

“My faith is forever deepened because of today. I hope this story deepens yours,” Scott added.

According to NBCDFW, the band’s publicist, Mary Hillard, confirmed that the tour bus that Scott and company were on was not the regular tour bus that Lady Antebellum or Scott use when traveling. However, Hillard would not say where the regular bus was.

Lady Antebellum, slated to perform at the ACMA on Sunday, April 19, at 8 p.m., EST, is nominated for “vocal group of the year.” The CMCA show will air on CBS, according to People.

[Photo Credits: Jason Merritt/Getty Images, Stephen Williams via NBCDFW, CBS News]