Disneyland — the most magical place on earth in Anaheim, Calif. — became a fiery nightmare when a 45-foot animatronic dragon burst into flames during a routine performance last weekend. Disney fans and staff on duty were shepherded to safety during the blaze, but not before video footage was taken by shocked onlookers and later shared in a series of viral social media posts.
The pyrotechnic disaster occurred on Apr. 22, during the final showing of the theme park’s Fantasmic spectacle, one of the most popular entertainment shows in the park. The star-studded performance is typically set to classic Disney songs and features an array of projections, fireworks, and more, all of which are typically up to code.
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That was until a fire-breathing mechanical dragon named Maleficent actually caught fire, itself. What started as a typical part of the show’s routine quickly caused the performance to come to a heated halt.
Disneyland released an official statement the next day, ensuring future guests that similar effects “will be suspended” including those that are part of the “World of Color – ONE” and “Wonderous Journeys” productions.
“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,” the statement adds. “The continued safety of our cast and guests is of the utmost importance.”
The park’s team also relayed that “all cast members were safely evacuated” and that the local fire team was quick to respond and extinguish the fire.
What caused the fire remains under investigation, however the park’s own “onsite reporter” caught the carnage and said that the likely cause was a “leak of flammable fluid, seen dripping down from the mouth moments before the fireball effect went off.”
ABC News was able to grab commentary from one of the park’s guests who was present during the fire, Elaine Gilmer. The vacationer reportedly has seen Fantasmic over 100 times, but during this performance, she witnessed “some small explosions coming out of the head, and then, all of a sudden, the whole dragon was just engulfed.”
Another park-goer, Veronica Maria, told The Washington Post that she “took a good look at the dragon and I went, ‘Well, if Mickey’s leaving, I think I’m going to, too’.”
Video footage has been widely circulated, leaving many previous park-goers counting their blessings that they weren’t there when the damage took place. Luckily, no injuries were reported.
“I watched that show with my sisters a few days ago!” said Reddit user WarmKitty93 in a thread related to the event. “I was so glad nothing major happened because we were right up front watching.”
Other Disney fans were quick to point out that this wasn’t the first time the classic Sleeping Beauty villain has gone up in its own flames. According to some previous guests, “This is like the third or fourth time this has happened now.”
A similar Maleficent caught fire during a daytime parade at Florida’s Disney World theme park, back in May of 2018.
While the Disneyland version of Fantasmic! has been canceled indefinitely, those who are visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Disney World in Florida can still enjoy what seems to be the only running version, which features the same dragon but in a different format.
