Disneyland dragon catches fire during ‘Fantasmic!’ show, leaving six workers treated for smoke inhalation

A 45-foot animatronic dragon burst into flames during Disneyland’s popular ‘Fantasmic!’ show, causing six workers to be treated for smoke inhalation

A fire broke out at Disneyland on Saturday after an animatronic dragon was engulfed in flames during a live performance at the California theme park.

On 22 April, the 45-foot dragon caught fire during a performance of “Fantasmic!” at Disneyland park in Anaheim, California. The fire was reported at around 11pm local time when Anaheim Fire and Rescue officials assisted the Disneyland Fire Department with putting out the fire on Tom Sawyer Island.

At least six workers were treated for smoke inhalation but needed no further evaluation, a spokesperson for the Anaheim Police Department and Anaheim Fire and Rescue told The New York Times. No guests or firefighters were injured.

The fire occurred near the end of the 30-minute “Fantasmic!” show, in which Mickey Mouse must defeat a “fire-breathing dragon” named Maleficent. In videos captured during Saturday night’s performance, the fire engulfed the dragon’s head before spreading to its neck and body.

“Your attention please,” a voice over the loudspeaker told guests as the fire spread. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance of ‘Fantasmic!’ will not continue. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”

All cast members and guests were then evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island and attractions near the dragon due to smoke and wind, Disneyland said in a statement. “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,” a spokesperson told the New York Times.

The cause of the fire still remains under investigation, but performances of “Fantasmic!” have since been removed from the Disneyland online schedule.

Ryan Laux is a frequent Disneyland visitor who told The Associated Press that fire has always been a part of the “Fantasmic!” show. He knew something was wrong when flames didn’t come from where they usually do. “The head started going on fire instead of the fire projecting out,” Laux said. The show was stopped almost immediately “and then right after that, the dragon started catching fire and the whole body was up in flames”.

“Fantasmic!” is a long-running nighttime show that takes place twice nightly near Disneyland park’s Tom Sawyer Island. The outdoor show features “special effects, state-of-the-art projections and superb pyrotechnics” as well as characters from popular Disney animated films.

This isn’t the first time a major attraction at one of Disney’s theme parks has caught fire. In 2018, a dragon float at Disney World’s Fantasy Parade in Orlando, Florida burst into flames and sent thick, black smoke into the air. The flames made its way down the animatronic dragon’s head and neck as many children looked on. A Disney employee was quick to extinguish the flames and no employees or guests were injured during the incident.

A small fire also erupted at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom in 2021 when debris from the fireworks show set off a fire near Cinderella’s Castle. The only injury was a person who accidentally inhaled the chemicals from a chemical fire extinguisher used by the fire department, but they were treated at the scene. The castle and surrounding areas were evacuated

Most recently, a group of passengers on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland were left stranded in a sinking boat for an hour before firefighters came to the rescue. A viral TikTok video showed the guests sitting in boats that began to fill with water.

“POV: You’re stuck on the pirates ride @ Disneyland and your boat is literally sinking,” wrote TikTok user @justnjames_ over the video. After an hour of sitting in the waterlogged boat, firefighters from the Disneyland Fire Department came to rescue the passengers from the sinking ride by having them walk a makeshift plank from the boat to the ground.

“Disney fire department had to come and rescue us,” he said. “After an hour of being stuck we finally got off.”

Passengers were given $30 vouchers to buy dry socks and allowed to skip lines at other rides.

The Independent has contacted Disney for comment.

Additional reporting from the AP.