Big Thunder Mountain Railroad reopened at Magic Kingdom after being closed for more than a year, and while guests have been able to ride it today, it seems to be experiencing some issues.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Videos have surfaced online showing smoke beneath the track at one of the loading stations.
According to Ashley Carter on X, a small fire reportedly broke out on the ride, and Cast Members acted quickly to extinguish the fire. The queue was evacuated, and the ride has been 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
The cause is not yet known, but in the TikTok video below, you can see a small flame appear as the Cast Members use a fire extinguisher. The incident happened around 6 PM, and no further details have been released.
@5798k0 should be recieving lightning lane passes for waiting an hour and 15 minutes #fire #bigthundermountain
Guests were waiting up to two hours to ride the attraction on the reopening date, but due to the fire, they had to clear the queue and were not able to ride the rest of the day.
Big Thunder
The following morning, Big Thunder Mountain reopened, so it seems the problem was small and fixable. The current wait around 12 PM on the second day of opening is only 45 minutes, which we totally call a win. We expected waits to be much higher on the second day of opening, but much to our surprise, it seems pretty manageable! For opening, the crowds were wrapped around the whole area.
Opening day crowds
The ride received major updates from the 16-month closure. The entire track was redone and now feels so smooth. Remember how it felt like you were getting thrown around, and you might exit the ride in pain? The new track has totally changed this.
Let’s go!
Rainbow Caverns have also been added, making the indoor scenes even more beautiful. There is so much more to look at, and it really adds another layer to the ride.
Rainbow Caverns
You can also see the golden nugget as you ride, which is another fun addition we didn’t realize we were missing out on. Overall, our team has had a great time with the new changes, and we think Disney paid homage to the original ride while also giving it a proper refresh.
Going in!
Make sure you keep following Disney Food Blog for more Disney news.
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