An enormous fire broke out in Disneyland California on Saturday night.
During the evening water and fireworks show, the gigantic fire-breathing Maleficent dragon on Tom Sawyer Island suddenly began to burn fiercely while the crowd was excitedly watching and enjoying the night.
In a statement, Disneyland’s spokesperson explained, “During the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland Park on Saturday evening, the dragon caught fire. Anaheim Fire & Rescue quickly responded and the fire was extinguished.”
Other park goers hurried off the attraction as some of them managed to record videos of the fire incident.
As seen in the uploaded videos, the stage was covered with large, thick clouds of black smoke that could be seen all around the park and the rising flames were also visible into the sky.
Just watched Fantasmic Dragon catches on fire at Disneyland 😢 #disney pic.twitter.com/49yTBA2MR7— mlg (@MelissaLeeGiles) April 23, 2023
A line of fire trucks was seen rushing to the Anaheim theme park by witnesses outside the Disneyland Resort. Later, the flames eventually crept down the dragon’s body. As firefighters battled to put out the fire, spectators and Disneyland staff were swiftly rescued and safely ushered to exit the venue.
“All cast members were safely evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island. Due to smoke and wind, attractions near the island were safely evacuated of any guests, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time,” Disneyland’s spokesperson’s statement continued.
The event ended and an announcement was made saying, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance of Fantasmic! cannot continue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.”
Meanwhile, Disneyland officials tell Scripps News, “We are temporarily suspending fire effects similar to those used at Disneyland park’s Fantasmic at select shows and entertainment experiences globally out of an abundance of caution following the Fantasmic prop fire at Disneyland park. The continued safety of our cast and guests is of the utmost importance.”
Fortunately, the fire incident was reported to have caused no injuries.
Following the event, attractions around Frontierland were temporarily closed due to wind and smoke. While the cause of the fire is still being investigated by the officials, the rest of the park remained open.
