Guests at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park were evacuated from a ride Saturday evening after a fire broke out during the busy spring break season.
According to reports from Fox 35 Orlando, CBS News, and Fox Business, the fire started in a walk-in cooler backstage at the park’s France Pavilion in Orlando, Florida, on March 22. Walt Disney World officials confirmed the incident.
Riders on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, located near the affected area, were safely evacuated. The fire was extinguished by 7:20 p.m. local time, and no injuries were reported.
The incident occurred during one of Epcot’s peak periods, coinciding with Spring Break and the International Flower & Garden Festival, which runs through June 2. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown.
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Fire at Disney World’s Epcot.
Video footage posted on Facebook captured flames and thick black smoke rising above Epcot’s France Pavilion as people moved through the backstage area.
According to Fox 35 Orlando, Disney officials confirmed that theme park guests were evacuated before the fire reached the scale seen in the shared videos.
Employees assisted in clearing all attractions, shops, and restaurants in the affected area, Walt Disney World Magic reported.
The France Pavilion was temporarily closed due to the incident but reopened to guests at 8:20 p.m., according to Fox Business and WDWM. The park then closed at its scheduled time of 9:00 p.m.
A witness shared their experience on the Walt Disney World’s Tips and Tricks Facebook group, stating, “Everyone seems to be physically fine. We had just boarded the Skyliner at Pop Century heading to Epcot and watched the situation unfold.”
They continued, “At one point, the smoke started drifting into the path of the Skyliner, and I was concerned our cabin might fill with smoke.”
