Disneyland visitors stunned as animatronic fire-breathing dragon on Tom Sawyer island bursts into flames

A 45-foot-tall animatronic fire-breathing dragon exploded in a fireball on Tom Sawyer island in Disneyland during a performance of the popular ‘Fantasmic!’ show.

Visitors to Walt Disney World Resort in California on the evening of Saturday, April 22, were treated to a very unexpected sight at one of the park’s stunning features. A massive blaze broke out on a 45-foot-tall animatronic fire-breathing dragon on Tom Sawyer island.

During a performance of the popular ‘Fantasmic!’ show, the head section of the Maleficent Dragon suddenly exploded in flames. Members of the Disney cast ran for their lives as the animatronic monster erupted, as reported by dailymail.co.uk.

Thick plumes of black smoke subsequently spread across the Californian park with around 1000 guests emptying out of the area around Frontierland and heading for the exits.

Video footage posted on social media by @MelissaLeeGiles – who said she was a visitor at the time of the fire – showed the dragon’s head engulfed in flames before the rest of its body caught alight.

Just watched Fantasmic Dragon catches on fire at Disneyland 😢 #disney pic.twitter.com/49yTBA2MR7

— mlg (@MelissaLeeGiles) April 23, 2023

An announcement across the public address system informed visitors: ‘Due to unforeseen circumstances, this performance of ‘Fantasmic!’ cannot continue. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause’.

Teams of firefighters from the Anaheim Fire Department were deployed to the incident and quickly extinguished the blaze. A spokesperson confirmed that thankfully there had been no injuries.

‘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”, said a statement from Disney.

It continued: ‘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 theme park remained open but the area around Frontierland was cordoned off while Disney officials conducted an investigation to determine the extent of damage and to try and locate the cause of the incident.  ‘Fantasmic!’, based on Mark Twain’s book, ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’, has been a popular attraction at the park since its inception in 1992.

Fantasmic fire aftermath #disneyland pic.twitter.com/yTfeJAJtEy

— 🔥 FIVE FIRES 🔥 (@thecalibae) April 23, 2023