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A popular ride at Alton Towers, The Wicker Man, was reportedly evacuated on September 14.
An eyewitness told Express.co.uk the fire alarm was triggered during the early afternoon amid visible concern of the park’s guests.
Some, it is claimed, left their belongings behind to quickly leave the area as they had been asked to do. The paths near the massive ride were cleared, with “no one allowed near it”, the eyewitness at the Stoke-on-Trent amusement park claimed.
They claimed: “No one [was] allowed near it… entire paths cleared, no one was allowed to get their bags.”
Amid the chaotic scenes, staff members were reportedly heard saying: “This has never happened before.”
The evacuation sparked fury among some thrill-seekers, who had queued for “hours” to get on the ride, the eyewitness shared.
In a further update, the same eyewitness claimed the ride was re-opened after the dispruption, only to be shut again shortly after.
“They reopened it 20 minutes ago,” they claimed. “The queues have just filled all over again and the fire alarm has just gone off AGAIN!!”, the theme park guest said, adding that “another evacuation” was carried out.
Express.co.uk has contacted Alton Towers for comment.
The ride had to be evacuated earlier this year in an unrelated incident after footage posted on X showed smoke rising from the ride on July 26. The incident prompted immediate action from park officials and safety personnel.
A spokesperson for Alton Towers Resort said at the time: “Our technical team swiftly attended to the smoke and followed well-rehearsed procedures to quickly resolve the issue’.
“Wicker Man is constructed with treated wood which inhibits fire ignition,” they said, adding: “At this stage, we believe the cause of the smoke was the result of a foreign object.”
The ride was been closed for “essential maintenance” following the incident. The park said in July the safety of guests remained its top priority, and said it would be closed until inspections and repairs are completed.
The Wicker Manopened in the spring of 2018 and is Alton Towers’ first wooden roller coaster in more than two decades, constructed at a cost of £16 million.
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