Credit: DisneyA Walt Disney World Resort hotel was recently evacuated due to a fire scare.
It may be the “most magical place on earth,” but even Walt Disney World can’t totally avoid the realities that lie outside the Disney bubble. Over the years, its theme parks have played host to everything from hurricanes and lightning strikes to fires and floods.
This year alone, we’ve seen parts of EPCOT underwater, leaving guests stranded beneath Spaceship Earth. Video footage showed a child nearly struck by lightning at Magic Kingdom in July while a vehicle fire shut down the northbound side of World Drive and rerouted drivers to Disney Springs that same month.
Disney World’s hotels have faced just as many complications. Disney’s Beach Club Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and Disney’s Contemporary Resort have all experienced fire scares over the past year.
Now, you can add Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas to the list. Located next door to Animal Kingdom itself, the Disney Vacation Club villas are a part of Animal Kingdom Lodge, which offers guests an African safari-inspired experience. Hotel rooms overlook four savannas containing over 200 animals, including giraffes, zebras, gazelles, kudu, and flamingos.
According to one guest staying at the resort, a fire caused an evacuation at Jambo House last night (September 8, 2023), and the hotel’s response wasn’t the best.
“Just got evacuated from Jambo House,” said the guest. “There was really poor communication from the hotel staff. These things happen of course but I was just wondering if anyone was also here and heard what actually had happened? Looking up ‘Jambo House fire’ on Google it seems to happen every so often!”
As other Disney parkgoers pointed out, “asking the staff about issues generally won’t answer any of your questions” as “they are either busy with their daily duties or if they know something is going on, not going to tell you about it.”
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like the incident was too serious. Guests were evacuated from the zebra trail and gathered near the pool and The Mara while alarms rang for approximately 20 minutes before “the only member of staff (a security guard) came out to apologize and gave the all clear.”
This incident comes just days after a separate disturbance at the same hotel. Guests reported at least five police cars outside the hotel entrance, with an officer talking to the hotel manager. They also claim to have heard “strange” noises around the resort.