A fire broke out in California’s Disneyland on Saturday when a fire-breathing animatronic dragon suddenly burst into flames during the popular “Fantasmic!” show, forcing evacuations and the cancellation of the show. The incident occurred at around 11 p.m. Saturday night, per NBC News, with video capturing the moment the Maleficent dragon, which is supposed to shoot fire out of its mouth, was completely engulfed in flames mid-show.
“During the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland park on Saturday evening, the dragon prop caught fire,” Disneyland officials confirmed in a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly. “Anaheim Fire & Rescue quickly responded, and the fire was extinguished. All cast members were safely evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island.”
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Nearby attractions were quickly evacuated “due to smoke and wind,” Disneyland said, adding that “the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.” Amid the incident, Disneyland said it is “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.”
Fantasmic!
Fantasmic! is a 29-minute nighttime show that takes place after Mickey is fast asleep and as he “dreams that he is a mighty sorcerer’s apprentice with the power to control water, color and magic” The show features characters from several popular Disney movies, “including Maleficent in the form of a towering, 40-foot-tall dragon.” The show also features Disney characters from Moana, Frozen 2, and Beauty and the Beast.
Fire
While fire has always been part of the show, Ryan Laux, a frequent Disneyland visitor, said he knew something was wrong when the dragon’s “head started going on fire instead of the fire projecting out,” per NPR. Laux said the show was stopped immediately and then right after that, the dragon started catching fire and the whole body was up in flames.
‘A lot of smoke’
Jonathan Daily, a visitor said, per CBS News, “there was a lot of smoke, a lot of black smoke. We looked and knew something was on fire.”
Explosions
Disneyland guest Elaine Gilmer told local news ABC 7 that “the dragon’s head started to glow, and I see fire and kind of smoke coming out. “I was like, ‘Oh… they added some new stuff because that didn’t happen like that before.’” Gilmer added, “we saw some small explosions coming out of the head, and then, all of a sudden, the whole dragon was just engulfed, and then, all of a sudden, the worker started coming around escorting everybody out for safety.”
‘Unforseen circumstancces’
Videos of the incident, which were quickly shared online, showed guests watching the show when suddenly the dragon erupted in flames. In several clips, the show’s announcer could be heard telling the crowd, “this performance of Fantasmic cannot continue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and hope you enjoy the rest of your evening here at Disneyland. Once again, this performance cannot continue due to unforeseen circumstances. Thank you.”
Under investigation
No injuries were reported in relation to the Saturday night incident. A cause for the fire remains unknown and an investigation is underway.
Fantasmic! Paused
Amid the incident, Disneyland has halted the Fanastmic show, with a notice on the attraction’s page reading, “performances of Fantasmic! are currently paused. We know our Guests love and miss Fantasmic!, and Disneyland Resort teams are working hard to assess when we can bring back an adjusted show as quickly and safely as possible.”
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