Yikes! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Has Been Open Less Than 24 Hours In Magic Kingdom and Is Already Having Issues

On May 3rd in Magic Kingdom, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened after a 16-month refurbishment. While the ride opened with the park this morning, around 6 PM, it went a bit off the rails.

According to Ashley Carter on X, a small fire reportedly started on the ride by the loading and unloading station.

The Cast Members acted quickly to extinguish the fire, and the queue was evacuated. Following this, the ride was closed for the rest of the day.

A small fire in the load/unload area of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad today. Cast members acted quickly and one used a fire extinguisher on the fire. The queue was evacuated. https://t.co/jXOIaa61sM

— Ashley Carter (@AshleyLCarter1) May 4, 2026

In a TikTok video, you can see a small flame between the smoke as the Cast Member uses the fire extinguisher. No official details have been released, including when the ride will reopen.

@5798k0

should be recieving lightning lane passes for waiting an hour and 15 minutes #fire #bigthundermountain

♬ Dropando Nesse Grave – Cayin22

Some guests waited up to two hours to ride the attraction, but due to the fire, the queue was cleared, and no more guests were able to ride. We’ll be interested to see how long the ride will be closed and when guests will be able to see the refurbishments.

Keep following AllEars for more Disney news.