Universal Studios Hollywood Park Goers Rescued After Power Outage Stops Ride
Nearly a dozen park-goers enjoying a day of fun at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday had to be rescued after they became stranded on a popular ride amid a power outage. The Los Angeles County Fire Department was called the popular amusement park's Transformer's: The Ride-3D after the attraction lost power and became inoperable at about 3:45 p.m., Deadline confirmed.
In total, 11 people were left stranded on the ride, which is described by Universal as "an immersive, next generation thrill ride blurring the line between fiction and reality." Based on the popular movie franchise, the ride fuses 3D HD media and flight simulation technology that places riders in the middle of the ultimate war zone. However, park goers' fight alongside Optimus Prime to protect the Allspark from Decepticons abruptly ended due to the outage, and riders were stranded for several hours before ultimately being rescued by emergency crews at around 6:30 p.m. No injuries were reported.
"As a result of a power interruption from So Cal Edison, we experienced a brief power dip which resulted in exiting guests from some attractions," a Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson confirmed the interruption in a statement to Deadline. "Power has been fully restored and we're working to get a few remaining attractions back online. The theme park remains open."
The power outage came amid soaring temperatures in California. Weather.com reported that temperatures at Universal peaked at 96 degrees shortly before 3 p.m., less than an hour before riders were stranded. Deadline suggested heat stressed the energy grid and at least in part contributed to the power outage which ABC7 reported not only impacted the Transformers ride, but also a Harry Potter ride. The outlet did not specify which Harry Potter ride was impacted.
This marks the second such incident of guests becoming stranded on a ride at a Universal park in the span of less than a month. In March, guests aboard Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure located in Universal Orlando Resort The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade were left stranded for approximately 30 minutes when the ride malfunctioned at the Devil's Snare. Riders were eventually able to complete their trek to the Forbidden Forest and beyond and the ride continued to operate normally.