Muna's Tour Bus Caught Fire on a California Freeway — All Members Safe

By Tom Whitfield

A tour bus carrying all three members of Muna caught fire on the southbound 5 freeway in Burbank, California, on Monday morning. Everyone on board is safe. The band confirmed it themselves.

Local station KTLA, whose helicopter and ground cameras captured the scene, reported that the fire shut down several lanes on the busy roadway. The California Highway Patrol received the call at 8:00 a.m. about a flaming bus. According to KTLA, the driver reportedly did not realize the bus was on fire before that call came in.

After the bus pulled over on an offramp, the Burbank Fire Department extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported in the station's account, and the band has not said otherwise.

What did the band lose?

Muna posted a photo from KTLA's coverage on social media with the caption: "the band MUNA as seen on the news this morning." The band added that "many personal items were lost but we're all safe, thank goodness."

That is the full extent of the disclosure so far. No one has specified what the lost items were, whether instruments or stage equipment burned, or what the loss means for upcoming performances. The band's statement offers reassurance, not detail — a pattern worth noting when a tour worth months of scheduled dates sits in the balance.

Guitarist, synth player and vocalist Naomi McPherson responded in the comments with characteristic deadpan: "if anyone could help me find the grandchild of the warlock whose curse is wreaking havoc on my life so that i can carry em up the mountain & fulfill the prophecy / undo the curse that has befallen me that would be much appreciated."

A difficult year behind the incident

The fire lands at the end of a hard stretch for the band. In September, Muna announced that McPherson would miss several tour dates to care for their mother, Harriet, who was in the terminal stages of a cancer battle. The band called Harriet "one of the greatest, most wise and loving people" in that same post.

McPherson has since returned to the road. The Gets So Hot Tour kicked off September 25 in Philadelphia and is now approaching its final American date: one more show at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre outside Denver on October 21. After that, the band heads to Europe for another month of concerts.

What does this change for the tour?

On the evidence available: nothing yet. The band has not cancelled or postponed the Red Rocks date or the European leg, and no promoter or venue statement has contradicted the "we're all safe" line. Until Muna or their representatives say more, the October 21 show stands.

The open question is equipment. Touring bands routinely lose irreplaceable instruments and gear in bus fires, and replacements on short notice can affect how a show sounds. Muna has not addressed this. If the Red Rocks performance goes ahead as scheduled, it will be the first test of how much Monday's fire actually cost them.