Credit: Steven Miller via FlickrThanks to the immersive details at Walt Disney World Resort, every Guest plays countless roles on their Disney vacation.
Over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you’re an intrepid explorer. At Magic Kingdom, you can be a prince, princess, or anything fantastical. Hollywood Studios can transport you to a life in a galaxy far, far away or cast you in the role of your favourite Pixar movie, and EPCOT turns you from a Florida tourist to an astronaut or worldwide globetrotter.
Related: Iconic Disney Ride Stormed by Firefighters After Incident
One role that you don’t expect, however? Real-life firefighter.
In a recent Reddit thread questioning Guests about the scariest thing they’d ever seen in a Disney Park, one user shared the story of how they and their friend were forced into the position of firefighters upon a visit to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge.
Visiting the luxury resort “on a very cold and windy day in January,” the pair were waiting on the dock at Wilderness Lodge in preparation for catching a boat across to Magic Kingdom. However, while waiting, the pair noticed that “one of the wooden pillars supporting the dock had caught fire.”
The pair leaped into action, with both Guests “[grabbing] a fire extinguisher” and “the fire was put out.”
As it was later revealed, the fire was caused by an “illegally-tossed cigarette butt mixed with high wind,” which set fire to a rope, which then spread to a wooden dock support team.
While it’s lucky that the pair was there to witness and resolve what could have become a dangerous situation, the user wrote that “the 10+ minute wait time for Resort security and firemen to get there was also eye-opening.” Not at all concerning.
The user didn’t clarify whether the Wilderness Lodge incident took place in 2023 or earlier. However, Walt Disney World Resort has been impacted by several fires so far this year, including a car fire on World Drive earlier this week and a mysterious fire somewhere on Disney property near the I-94. Disney’s Hollywood Studios was also forced to evacuate Guests from their tables at 50’s Prime Time Café after a kitchen fire in January.
Have you ever witnessed anything scary at Walt Disney World? Let us know in the comments!