LANCO Survives Bus Fire in Iowa: See Harrowing Video & Photos

The members of country music group LANCO survived a harrowing experience Sunday night when their tour bus caught fire.

After wrapping a show in Des Moines, Iowa, the band was forced to pull over on the side of the road around 4 a.m. while en route to Nashville, due to a nearby snowstorm.

The group decided to stay in a hotel for the night, though due to the blizzard conditions, tow services were halted in the area, so local police from Pella, Iowa, took LANCO band members, as well as show openers Willie Tate and Dawson Anderson, along with some crew members to nearby hotels.

LANCO’s bus driver opted to stay behind on the bus but ultimately awoke to the bus on fire in the early morning hours of Monday (March 16). The driver was able to escape the fire with only minor injuries. Though the band’s equipment trailer survived the fire, the group did lose some instruments when the bus was engulfed in flames.

LANCO lead singer Brandon Lancaster told Billboard in a statement, “It’s been a surreal 18 hours honestly, and we are so thankful that everyone on board is safe and sound. It was a very scary situation and I can’t imagine what would have happened if we all decided to sleep on the bus. I know God was watching over us.”

The group is still in Pella, Iowa, and their next tour date is scheduled for March 26 in St. Augustine, Florida.

The ACM Award-winning LANCO formed nearly a decade ago and includes members Brandon Lancaster (lead vocals), Chandler Baldwin (bass), Tripp Howell (drums), Jared Hampton (keyboard/guitar) and Tim Aven (guitar). The group is known for songs including its 5x multi-Platinum RIAA-certified hit “Greatest Love Story,” which also topped Billboard‘s Country Airplay chart for two weeks in 2017. They also earned a Country Airplay top 20 hit in 2018 with “Born to Love You.” The group’s song “Hallelujah Nights” was RIAA-certified gold.

The group shared the video of the incident above as well as photos of the charred bus below.