Dragon at Disneyland performance catches fire

Disneyland dragon catches fire. Photo / AP

Spectators at Disneyland’s popular “Fantasmic!” show got a shock this weekend when the feature’s fire-breathing animatronic dragon suddenly burst into flames.

No major injuries were reported following the blaze Saturday night at the Southern California theme park, the Anaheim Fire Department said.

Ryan Laux, a frequent Disneyland visitor, said that fire has always been a part of the “Fantasmic!” presentation. But he said he knew something was awry when the flames didn’t come from where they usually do.

“The head started going on fire instead of the fire projecting out,” said Laux, who lives in Los Angeles and captured the blaze on video.

The show was stopped almost immediately “and then right after that, the dragon started catching fire and the whole body was up in flames”, he told the Associated Press on Sunday.

In videos taken by crowd members, the fire can be seen spreading from the bottom of the animatronic dragon’s neck up to the head. The whole figure is clouded by smoke, while crowd members watch on with shocked gasps arising as the fire took hold.

The show takes place twice nightly near the park’s famous Tom Sawyer Island. The nighttime performance is described to usually include “stunning effects, thrilling stunts, dazzling pyrotechnics and rousing music”.

The climax features a Mickey Mouse mascot battling a giant dragon named Maleficent, who usually spits small spurts of fire across the stage and the water surrounding the island. The show is inspired by a variety of Disney films, including Moana, Frozen, Mulan, Aladdin and The Lion King. The dragon itself is inspired by the villain in the 1959 film Sleeping Beauty.

Laux said Mickey vanished from the stage as soon as the dragon’s head became engulfed in flames.

The extent of the damage wasn’t immediately known.

AP with additional reporting.