Whoopi Goldberg’s comedy performance at Moncton’s Casino New Brunswick was forced to end early after her tour bus caught fire.
Show attendee Brian Cormier says Goldberg’s show had the crowd in stiches, but about an hour into the performance, the audience began to smell smoke.
“People were getting concerned and antsy, and then at the back of the room we heard (of) an issue,” said Cormier. “Staff said the fire department is here and we have to go, and then staff spoke to (Goldberg) and then she said ‘my bus is on fire and we’re going to have to leave.’”
The performance hall and casino was evacuated.
“It was very orderly, and (Goldberg) was very nice,” said Cormier. “She said ‘we’re safe, it’s my bus - it’s parked outside.’”
When firefighters arrived, the tour bus was in flames.
“We deployed an attack line immediately on arrival and we worked extremely hard for about 10 minutes, but our efforts were successful within that 10 minutes,” said Platoon Chief Brian Gaudet of the Moncton Fire Department.
Gaudet says firefighters soon realized it was Goldberg’s tour bus.
“She was appreciative of our efforts,” said Gaudet. “We had the bus completely ventilated and safe. She basically wanted to gather around the guys and take a picture.”
Goldberg made her first comments about her night in a Facebook video Sunday afternoon.
“I’m fine, the driver’s fine. Thank you for your support, and kisses to everybody in Moncton that made a great evening possible on stage,” said Goldberg in the video.
Police say the fire is believed to be electrical.
“The investigation is still ongoing,” said Sgt. Mark James of Codiac RCMP. “The exact cause of the fire hasn't been determined, but at this point it’s not considered suspicious.”
Goldberg was only scheduled to do one show in Moncton.
“We approach every incident the same way,” said Gaudet. “The customer needs our service, and in this case, it was Whoopi Goldberg.”
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Nick Moore.
