Fire-breathing dragon! Shocking moment animatronic monster at Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer island EXPLODES and is consumed by flames during performance as stunned guests cry out with shock
- A 45-foot tall animatronic dragon caught fire on Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer island in California and caused families to flee the park
- It exploded and erupted into a fireball during the theme park’s ‘Fantasmic!’ show on Saturday night and thick black smoke plume spread across the theme park
- Staff quickly evacuated around 1,000 people from the site around Frontierland and no one was hurt
This is the terrifying moment a 45-foot tall animatronic dragon caught fire on Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer island in California and caused families to flee the park.
The popular attraction exploded and erupted into a fireball during the theme park’s ‘Fantasmic!’ show at Walt Disney World Resort on Saturday night.
Cast members were forced to flee the scene after the head of Maleficent Dragon’s became engulfed in flames in the middle of the performance.
They quickly evacuated around 1,000 people from the site around Frontierland as the thick black smoke plume spread across the theme park.
The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the incident and no one was hurt.
A 45-foot tall animatronic dragon caught fire on Disneyland’s Tom Sawyer island in California and caused families to flee the park
The popular attraction exploded and erupted into a fireball during the theme park’s ‘Fantasmic!’ show at Walt Disney World Resort on Saturday night
The ‘Fantasmic!’ show dragon pictured before it was destroyed in the fire on Saturday
Footage shows the dragon’s fire breath engulfed its head before it later spread to the rest of its body.
The cast members were quick to react as the animatronic monster erupted into a fireball and the flames began to spread and drop below.
Firefighters arrived shortly to extinguish the flames and authorities confirmed there were no injuries.
Videos shared on social media show parkgoers fleeing from the scene as staff cordoned off the attraction.
As the fire rapidly grew, a public announcement was played to say the show could no longer continue.
It said: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance of ‘Fantasmic!’ cannot continue. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.’
Staff quickly evacuated around 1,000 people from the site around Frontierland as the thick black smoke plume spread across the theme park
The Anaheim Fire Department responded to the incident and no one was hurt
In a statement, Disneyland said: ‘During the final showing of Fantasmic at Disneyland park on Saturday evening, the dragon caught fire.
‘Anaheim Fire & Rescue quickly responded and the fire was extinguished. All cast members were evacuated from Tom Sawyer Island.
‘Due to smoke and wind, attractions near the island were safely cleared of any guests, and the cause of the fire remains under investigation at this time.’
The area around Frontierland was cordoned off but the rest of the park was open to visitors.
It is not known exactly what caused the fire and Disney officials will continue to investigate the extent of the damage.
The ‘Fantasmic!’ show is a 27-minute performance which provides ‘enhanced special effects, state-of-the-art projections and superb pyrotechnics’.
Mickey Mouse conducts scenes from Disney classics including Aladdin, Maleficent and The Lion King.
Most of it takes place in the mist of the Rivers of America and the audience watches from the banks on New Orleans Square and Frontierland.
The nighttime show started in 1992 and is based on Mark Twain’s book ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.’