Astro Orbiter Catches Fire
Believe it or not, the New Fantasyland incident wasn’t the first recent fire in the area. Three years before then, a rainy morning in Tomorrowland led to an unusual sight.
Astro Orbiter caught fire due to an irregularity in the façade. The structure of this second-floor attraction defines its appeal. Imagineers created a dazzling weenie that grabs attention, even from outside the park. My family loves gazing it from Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
Well, this gorgeous display of interstellar orbit includes its fair share of lights. One of the glowing orbs burned so brightly that it melted. When that happened, an unlikely chain of events, ones partially related to the weather, caused a significant part of the facing to catch fire.
This incident happened early in the morning, forcing Disney to close Astro Orbiter for the day. Due to the location of the fire, it wasn’t easy to stop, but the damage was thankfully minimal. I’m guessing it looked quite ridiculous from other parts of the park, though.
Maleficent
The most infamous Walt Disney World fire came toward the end of the decade. In an instance of life imitating art, the fire-breathing dragon, Maleficent, partially imploded. A mistake with the interior gas lines caused the fake-scary part of the Festival of Fantasy parade to become legitimately dangerous.
When functioning properly, Maleficent spits fire out of her dragon-y mouth. On this date, an exposed part of the structure started spewing flames instead. The fuel stations around the neck erupted, causing black smoke to filter out of the villain. Somewhere, Sleeping Beauty smiled while her mortal enemy burned from the inside.
Onlookers watched in horror as cast members chased the parade float. They carried fire extinguishers as they tried to reach the flaming parts of the gigantic mechanical dragon. It would have been hilarious if not for the fact that it was really happening in a crowd of people.
Remember this the next time your fight a dragon in a video game. When the fire comes out of the creature’s mouth, it’s attacking you. When the fire comes out of its neck, you’re the one slaying the dragon.
Comments
Hey David, that was a very thoroughly researched and entertaining read. I had not heard about several of these incidents (gun on Dinosaur, Mine Train fire) and it really made me think about the challenges that Disney faces to make their parks safe and efficient. I think you had a date wrong in the Dinosaur one, I think you meant 2013, not 2019. Thanks for a great read on this Saturday morning!