Dozens of people were rescued from a ride at Orlando’s ICON Park Saturday night after a power outage, the Orange County Fire Department reported.
The department said crews responded to reports of a power failure at the Orlando Wheel around 6:20 p.m. There were 20 modules occupied at the Ferris wheel when it lost power, trapping 62 people on the ride.
Images and videos on social media showed a small fire at the base of the ride, which caused it to malfunction and lose power.
Ashley Gipson, Public Information Officer for the Orange County Fire Department, said more than 80 firefighters responded to the park. To rescue the riders, they had to manually maneuver the wheel to reach each capsule.
ORLANDO AMUSEMENT PARK SUSPENDS RIDE WHERE GUESTS SHOOT TARGETS WHILE ENCOUNTERING LASER WEAPONS
Firefighters responded to Orlando’s ICON Park to rescue 62 passengers trapped on the Ferris wheel after it lost power on New Year’s Eve.
(momandpaparazzi.com)
At 10:43pm, OCFR confirmed on Twitter that all pods were clear and all 62 riders were safe. No injuries were reported and no hospital transfers were required, Gipson said.
All department rescue climbers on duty responded to the theme park to assist with the evacuations. Other off-duty climbers also showed up at the park, the Orange County Fire Department said on Twitter.
ORLANDO FREEFALL: OPERATIONAL TEAM PLANNING TO DISASSEMBLE RIDE AFTER DEATH OF TEEN AT AMUSEMENT PARK
According to the theme park’s website, the Orlando Wheel is 400 feet tall and takes 18 minutes to complete the ride. It opened in 2015 after three years of construction.
In a statement to Fox 35 Orlando, ICON Park confirmed that the wheel lost power and that park officials were working with first responders to evacuate the cyclists.
Orange County Fire crews manually spin the Ferris wheel at ICON Park to rescue passengers after a power outage.
(Orange County Fire Department)
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In March 2022, ICON Park experienced tragedy when 14-year-old Tire Sampson fell to his death from the Orlando Freefall, a drop tower ride in the park. Sampson was visiting the city for spring break with another family from St. Louis, Missouri.
The ride was closed immediately after Sampson’s death, and closed permanently in October.
