“The Lost Bus” tells the story of a Paradise school bus driver and a teacher who helped 22 kids escape the Camp Fire in 2018. The fire killed 85 people and remains the most deadly and destructive in California’s history.
At Thursday’s premiere, the film resonated in Chico and Oroville — two cities close to Paradise where many survivors relocated after the fire. Crowds packed into theaters to witness a film about their community’s experience. A line wrapped around The Pageant Theater in Chico, and Feather River Cinemas in Oroville also drew a full house.
“What I want people to take away from watching this film is just how important it is that our humanity comes out and that we sacrifice for others.”- Kevin McKay, Camp Fire survivor and the real-life bus driver depicted in "The Lost Bus"
Seeing his story on the screen
Kevin McKay, the real-life bus driver at the heart of the film played by Matthew McConaughey, showed up to Feather River Cinemas with family and friends, many from Cal Fire. He told NSPR what it was like to watch his story on the big screen nearly seven years later.
“It's super surreal for me, being that the core storyline is about my life,” McKay said. “But at the same time, I'm a Camp Fire survivor, and so, honestly, there's so many different ways that I connect to the film.”
McKay said he hopes other survivors who see the movie feel seen and heard. He also hopes people leave with the message of “normal people, helping other people.”
“What I want people to take away from watching this film is just how important it is that our humanity comes out and that we sacrifice for others,” he said.
McKay said it wasn’t his first time seeing the movie and that he was able to give his input to filmmakers. Overall, he said he felt “really good” about the film and watching it with fellow survivors.
For other viewers, the premieres stirred powerful memories. Here’s what people at the very first North State screenings had to say.
Oroville – Feather River Cinemas
The first showing in Oroville was packed with not a seat to spare.
At the end of the movie the crowd erupted in applause and cheers. Someone yelled “Go Kevin!” Even so, the tension was palpable in the theater. Someone made a comment that the escape didn’t really happen that way. That sparked a heated exchange between two moviegoers, with others pushing back and insisting that it did.
“I could just feel the tension going up my neck because it was so realistic to me, as if I were there again ..."- Carol Foley, Camp Fire survivor and Oroville resident
After the screening, the audience spilled out of the theater. Red Cross and other organizations were on-site with self-care resources, but most people headed straight for their cars — many stopping to share their reactions with NSPR before driving home.
Carol Foley is a Camp Fire survivor from Paradise who now lives in Oroville. She said she thought the film did a realistic job of portraying her experience of escaping the fire.
“I could just feel the tension going up my neck because it was so realistic to me, as if I were there again,” Foley said. “It was amazing. [Filmmakers] did a good job.”
Foley isn’t the only person who thought the film was spot-on.
Jennifer Gustafson came out to watch the movie from Butte Valley, where during the Camp Fire around 50 acres of her property burned. She echoed the sentiment that the film was tasteful. It also brought back a lot of memories for her.
“It really makes you think that it really wasn't that long ago,” Gustafson said. “And you know, you can still see the burn scars, and that still makes it very real.”
Sharon Rogers of Oroville said she was completely moved by the film.
“It was just incredible, devastating, heartbreaking, and it was so real,” she said.
Rogers said she's grateful to all the first responders who were there that day.
“The idea that they go in, when we're being sent out, and risking their lives, it's so so appreciated, and they were incredible,” she said.
Mark Foor is a fourth generation Paradise native who currently lives in Yankee Hill. He said that he cried throughout most of the movie, and that it was tough for him to process.
“I build houses, so I've been busy up there,” Foor said. “The first year was the toughest, going back in every day from Yankee Hill, driving up Pence Road into the devastation, you know, just like now, you just start crying.”
For Berry Creek resident Grant Nethery, the film brought back memories of the 2020 North Complex — often called the Bear Fire — which destroyed his town and killed 16 people. It remains one of California’s most catastrophic fires, ranking as the sixth deadliest, seventh most destructive and eight largest on record, according to Cal Fire.
Nethery said that the film was a stark reminder that California communities are not immune to wildfires.
“If we don't circumnavigate each summer accordingly, things like this will happen,” Nethery said. “A movie like that pulls it right to your face, especially being in a community that burnt down myself, it hits really close to home.”
Chico – The Pageant Theatre
Chico's first screening of the film drew a sold-out audience, with a line stretching around the block.
People waiting for tickets shared their Camp Fire experiences with each other. Then they went in with anticipation, knowing they would be among the first to see their community’s story shared. It was a collective experience born out of a collective tragedy.
After the screening, Chico resident Jennie Blevins said the ride was emotional.
“... I read Lizzie Johnson's book, and I'd seen the Netflix documentary, but seeing it on screen was just terrifying and amazing."- Jennie Blevins, Chico resident
“It's just like when you visually see it, it's just amazing, not in a good way, I mean …I love the just showing the impact of the fire and everything that happened,” Blevins said.
Although she was in the area when the Camp Fire happened, she found the film's depiction to be well-crafted after reading the source material: “Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire,” by Lizzie Johnson.
“I didn't know the impact and everything, and I read Lizzie Johnson's book, and I'd seen the Netflix documentary, but seeing it on screen was just terrifying and amazing,” Blevins said.
Chico resident Chris McCasland said the film did a tremendous job of depicting the Camp Fire.
“How much worse it really was seeing it, how much it spread and how fast,” McCasland said. “It's just amazing, how far and how much it's destroyed.”
Janice Ashcraft, who moved away from Paradise just two months before the fire, said watching the footage in the film was triggering.
“You see the aftermath, but you don't see what we've seen tonight. And it was very emotional,” Ashcraft said.
Also, in attendance was Rick Ganguet. He was living in Paradise at the time of the Camp Fire.
“It's a little PTSD for me because I lived through the fire, and I drove through the flames to get out and I lost everything in it, almost everything,” Ganguet said.
“We're still living and building in places where this could happen again.”- Rick Ganguet, Camp Fire survivor and Chico resident
Ganguet applauded the film for its accurate depiction of the fire, but more so for its stark warning and painful reminder that wildfires are more prevalent now than ever.
“We're still living and building in places where this could happen again,” Ganguet said.
“The Lost Bus” is continuing to show this weekend at The Pageant in Chico, Feather River Cinemas in Oroville and Prime Cinemas in Red Bluff. The film will also be available to stream on Apple TV+ starting Friday, Oct. 3.
This story was produced in collaboration with The Orion, Chico State’s independent student newspaper.
Ken Devol and Chris Hutton contributed reporting. Sarina Grossi contributed writing.
