The harrowing true story behind Matthew McConaughey's The Lost Bus

The Lost Bus, a gripping new film just released on Apple TV+, tells the tale of a heroic bus driver who risks everything to ferry children and their teacher to safety amidst a catastrophic fire.

Matthew McConaughey takes the lead as Kevin McKay, the courageous bus driver, alongside America Ferrera who plays Mary Ludwig, the school teacher.

Adding a touch of family authenticity, McConaughey's son, Levi, also stars in the film after auditioning without using his famous surname, while the character of Sherry McKay is portrayed by McConaughey's real-life mother.

After its global premiere at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival, the film has already garnered glowing reviews with an impressive Rotten Tomatoes score of 86%.

Here's everything you need to know about whether this gripping tale is based on real events.

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Is The Lost Bus a true story?

Indeed, the film is rooted in reality, based on the non-fiction book Paradise: One Town's Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire by Lizzie Johnson.

The book chronicles the harrowing events of the 2018 Camp Fire, which went down in history as the deadliest fire in California's history.

The fire was sparked on November 8, 2018, due to a poorly maintained Pacific Gas and Electric Company transmission line in the Feather River Canyon failing amidst strong katabatic winds.

These winds propelled the fire through Concow, Magalia, Butte Creek Canyon and Paradise, leaving a path of destruction in its wake.

The fire raged on for another two weeks until November 25, claiming 85 lives, displacing over 50,000 people, and obliterating more than 18,000 structures, causing an estimated US$16.5 billion in damage.

Regarding Kevin McKay's heroic actions, this extraordinary tale actually unfolded during the real-life blazes.

He hadn't been behind the wheel of a school bus for long when the inferno erupted, yet alongside teachers Mary Ludwig and Abbie Davis, he succeeded in rescuing every single passenger aboard.

Author Lizzie Johnson, who penned the book, revealed how Kevin had been employed at a Walgreens chemist for years but yearned for something more meaningful.

She told NPR: "He had quit his good, well-paying job and got a job as a bus driver at the local school district in Paradise to save money as he was going back to college to get a teaching degree."

On the morning the fires struck, Kevin's girlfriend, mother, and son, Shaun had all fled to nearby Chico.

Others faced a grimmer fate, including 22 youngsters at Ponderosa Elementary School who found themselves trapped.

Kevin was resolute in his mission to assist, so second grade teacher Mary Ludwig and kindergarten teacher Abbie Davis shepherded the children onto bus 963.

The escape from the flames would span five hours, traversing 30 miles before the youngsters were eventually reunited with their loved ones.

Johnson continued: "At one point, he had the teachers make a manifest in case the only thing getting pulled out of that bus were bodies."

The Lost Bus is on Apple TV+