Terrifying moment theme park-goers flee as huge fire breaks out engulfing ride in flames leaving thrillseekers shaken

THIS is the moment adrenaline junkies fled as a blazing fire broke out at a packed theme park. Footage shows a large wooden structure engulfed in flames as crowds of visitors watched thick black smoke billowing just a few metres away. Wooden watchtower engulfed in flames at the Raptor ride at Gardaland. Credit: Jam Press The Raptor ride remained closed while the firefighters took an hour to distinguish the flames. Credit: Jam Press The fire broke out on the afternoon on July 28 at the Far West-themed area of Gardaland, one of Italy‘s largest and most famous amusement park resort. The blaze erupted at around 2pm under the Raptor roller coaster which stands at 33m (108ft) tall and hits speeds of up to 90km/h (56mph). Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Firefighters from Bardolino raced to the scene in two fire engines to control the flames before it could spread to other areas of the attraction. The ride itself was not damaged but the watchtower made of timber was scorched. Visitors were left horrified as the blaze consumed the timber structure while the rest of Gardaland park remained operational. Credit: Jam Press Black smoke billowing from the fire engulfing the wooden watchtower near the Raptor ride in Gardaland, Italy. Credit: Jam Press The ride was closed while the fire service worked to tackle the blaze. Other Gardaland attractions continued to operate as normal. Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire within an hour. No one was reported to be injured. Most read in The Sun The Gardaland park officials have launched an internal investigation to find out how the fire broke out in the first place. Areas of the park remain closed while safety inspection continue. Gardaland Management has said: “No employees or guests were involved in or injured by the incident.” According to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, the theme park, located on the shores of Lake Garda, brings in around 3 million visitors each year. The Raptor, opened to the public in 2011 and one of seven roller coasters, is a steel winged coaster which involves three inversions, meaning it throws the riders upside down. Comment now