Guests at Gardaland Resort experienced an unexpected disruption on Tuesday after a fire broke out beneath the park's iconic Raptor roller coaster. Emergency services responded quickly to the incident, bringing the blaze under control within around an hour. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, the rest of the park remained open and Raptor has been closed while inspections take place.
Fire breaks out beneath Raptor
The incident occurred shortly before 2pm local time in Gardaland's Far West themed area, where a wooden structure located beneath Raptor caught fire. Videos shared across social media showed thick black smoke rising above the attraction as flames spread through the wooden scenery below the coaster's track. /
Gardaland's own emergency response team was first on the scene before local firefighters arrived to tackle the blaze. The fire was extinguished within approximately an hour, preventing it from spreading further across the area. According to local reports, nearby areas were temporarily isolated while emergency crews worked safely. /
No injuries reported
Despite the dramatic scenes captured by guests, there were no reported injuries to visitors or employees. Gardaland confirmed there were no consequences for guests, with much of the park continuing to operate while emergency services dealt with the incident.
As a precaution, Raptor has been closed while engineers inspect both the attraction and the surrounding area. At the time of writing, the park has not announced when the coaster will reopen.
One of Gardaland's signature attractions
Raptor opened in 2011 and made theme park history as the world's first Bolliger & Mabillard Wing Coaster. Rather than sitting above the track, riders are positioned on either side, creating the sensation of flying through narrow near-miss elements as the train races around the layout.
The coaster reaches speeds of around 56 mph (90 km/h), stands 108 feet tall and features three inversions. More than a decade after opening, it remains one of Gardaland's headline attractions and is widely regarded as one of Europe's best wing coasters
What happens next?
The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed and investigations are expected to determine exactly how the blaze started. While some local reports suggest it originated within the wooden Far West scenery beneath the ride, officials have not yet released a formal cause.
Before Raptor can welcome guests again, engineers are expected to carry out detailed inspections of both the coaster and the surrounding infrastructure to ensure there has been no damage that could affect safe operation.
Our thoughts
While the footage shared online looked alarming, the most important takeaway is that nobody was injured. Gardaland's emergency procedures appear to have worked effectively, with staff responding quickly before firefighters brought the blaze under control.
Raptor is one of the park's flagship attractions, so fans will no doubt be hoping inspections can be completed quickly. We'll continue to monitor the situation and update this story if Gardaland confirms the cause of the fire or announces when the coaster will reopen.
