Rising metal star Kim Dracula has revealed how they came within moments of death after their tour bus erupted in flames while the band and crew were asleep inside.
The fire broke out around 6AM in Texas, quickly consuming the vehicle and reducing it to a burned-out shell. Kim, real name Samuel Wellings, says they woke to the sound of desperate pounding on a locked door that left them trapped in the back of the bus as smoke and flames spread.
“I was in the back behind a locked door and was woken up by my crew screaming and banging on the door telling me to get off,” the 27-year-old wrote in a statement shared on Instagram alongside video footage of the devastation.
“We all got off immediately and within 30 seconds the entire bus was engulfed in flames, starting right where I was laying down.”
Miraculously, everyone made it out unharmed, but the group lost everything in the blaze. Personal belongings, equipment, and essentials for their shows were all destroyed.
The band explained that the fire left them with nothing but the clothes they escaped in.
The destruction has forced the cancellation of upcoming dates in Texas and Arkansas.
“We hope to be back on the road supporting Ice Nine Kills starting in Madison,” Kim added, apologizing to fans for the sudden change.
With their phones destroyed in the fire, the band said they wanted to get an update out as soon as possible to anyone expecting to see them perform.
Despite the setback, Kim Dracula’s schedule remains packed. Their next planned appearance is August 27 on Ice Nine Kills’ Hell of a Summer tour, before returning to their homeland in November for the much-anticipated Horror Down Under run.
Kim, who shot to fame on TikTok with metal-infused reimaginings of pop hits like Lady Gaga’s ‘Paparazzi’, has cultivated a dedicated global following.
Their debut album A Gradual Decline in Morale dropped in 2023, and earlier this summer they electrified crowds at the UK’s Download Festival.
For now, though, the artist and their team are just grateful to be alive. “Everyone in the crew is safe, including myself,” Kim told fans. “We look forward to jumping back in soon.”
