At Europa-Park, the popular launch roller coaster Blue Fire stalled in an unusual location on Wednesday afternoon, leaving 20 passengers stranded at the highest point of the ride. Around 1 p.m., the coaster came to a halt at a height of 38 meters on the first curve after launch, just before the large looping element. This unexpected stop occurred due to insufficient energy during the initial launch.

The area around the ride was promptly cordoned off to allow staff and emergency services to manage the situation without disturbance. Park employees quickly deployed an aerial platform to communicate with the passengers. However, a high-altitude evacuation was ultimately unnecessary, as the train was carefully rolled backward to the launch area by 1:30 p.m..

Initial speculation linked the incident to strong winds, with the park already warning visitors about stormy weather conditions. However, Europa-Park later confirmed that the train stalled due to an energy shortage during launch, not due to weather.

A spokesperson for the park reassured the public, stating that the incident posed no danger to passengers. “Thanks to Europa-Park’s extensive safety measures, the passengers were immediately taken care of and the train was safely returned to the station with the help of a crane,” (translated from German) the spokesperson explained. All passengers were unharmed and professionally assisted following the event. The ride was thoroughly checked and resumed operation by late afternoon.

This isn’t the first time Blue Fire has experienced a stoppage. In April 2024, the coaster encountered several technical issues that caused it to roll back, though no injuries were reported. The spokesperson emphasized that such rollbacks are “extremely rare” given the coaster’s high number of daily rides.

Blue Fire, built in 2009 by Mack Rides, accelerates trains from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.5 seconds, providing riders with 3.8 G. Eight replicas of the ride have been installed in parks around the world, including in South Korea, Russia, UAE, China and Australia. Subscribe to AirMagique for more updates and news.

Have you ridden Blue Fire at Europa-Park? Let us know in the comments below. 

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