A father and four children were injured when the bus they called home burst into flames on Monday in southern Utah. Three family members were critically injured, and the others were left homeless by the fire.
According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, emergency personnel responded to the report of a vehicle fire in Veyo, a small town about 20 miles northwest of St. George. When deputies arrived, they found a Blue Bird bus almost fully ablaze, with flames shooting out the top.
All the occupants were out of the bus, but the father and two of his children had suffered “severe burn injuries.” Two children were taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Authorities did not release the names or ages of the victims, but a GoFundMe page launched to benefit the family identified the parents as Kyle and Whitney Copeland, noting they have their four children.
According to the fundraiser, the bus — in which the Copelands had been traveling and living — “exploded with everyone inside” at 10 p.m. Monday. Kyle Copeland and two of his children were flown by helicopter to a St. George hospital, then flown by helicopter to a burn unit in Las Vegas, where they are in “critical condition.”
According to the GoFundMe page, “their motorhome was their only home and transportation, and it is a total loss. … Additionally, they likely face many months of travel and painful medical treatment and bills.”
The page features a Christmas 2021 photo of the family. As of midday Tuesday, it had raised more than $65,000 — well above its $25,000 goal.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
