Guest’s personal charger ignites at Disney’s ‘it’s a small world’
There was a small fire at Disney’s “It’s a small world ride” after a guest’s portable charge caught fire near the entrance. FOX 35 has learned that Disney Cast Members quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. No one was hurt, officials said.
WALT DISNEY WORLD, Fla. – Guests were briefly evacuated from the typically calm and peaceful “it’s a small world” ride at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on Wednesday, July 1, after a small fire sparked within one of the ride’s boats, according to a witness.
‘It’s a small world’ evacuated over small fire
The backstory:
FOX 35 has learned that a guest’s personal phone charger ignited and caught fire. Disney Cast Members – their word for employees – quickly halted the ride, grabbed a fire extinguisher and extinguished the small fire.
The fire was put out before the fire department arrived, FOX 35 has been told, and no one was hurt.
People were evacuated from the ride and the queue line. The ride shut down, and reopened later that day, a spokesperson for Disney told FOX 35.
Kate Braggs is visiting Florida from Kilgore, Texas with her family and some friends.
“We rope-dropped Magic Kingdom yesterday and we’re doing all the things, and we said, ‘hey, let’s go ride ‘small world,’ and the queue was a little bit more eventful than usual,'” she said.
She said she and her family had just got into the boat ride and were about to start the ride when people in the boat in front of them suddenly got up. That’s when she spotted the small fire.
“Right when we sat down, that’s when everybody in front of us popped up real quick. Then we saw the quick fire – quick fire – and the smoke. And then everyone kinda of parted, kinda like the “Red Sea.” Some went back to the queue and some went to the exit way,” she said.
She said the fire wasn’t huge and commended Disney’s Cast Members who remained “super calm and collected and did a really good job with all of that.”
Watch: Aftermath of fire at Magic Kingdom’s ‘It’s a small world’
Guest’s personal charger ignites at Disney’s ‘it’s a small world’
There was a small fire at Disney’s “It’s a small world ride” after a guest’s portable charge caught fire near the entrance. FOX 35 has learned that Disney Cast Members quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out. No one was hurt, officials said.
History of one of Disney’s most iconic rides
It’s a song that any Disney fan can easily recall or loathe: ‘It’s a small over (After All).” But, it is one of the iconic theme park rides in Disney history.
It was originally created for the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair – where another Walt Disney ride also debuted, Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress.
“It’s a small world” spent two years at the New York World Fair before it was moved to Disneyland, where it debuted on May 28, 1966.
In 1971, the concept was replicated at Walt Disney World in Florida, becoming one of the theme park’s opening attractions.
Who wrote the song?
None other than Disney legends, Richard and Robert Sherman, who wrote some of the iconic songs for Mary Poppins.
The Source: The information is from Disney, the Disney Parks Blog, and the Walt Disney World website.