A small fire broke out backstage during fireworks testing at the Magic Kingdom late Monday night. Details on the fire are scarce, but the incident caused Happily Ever After to be presented without fireworks on Tuesday night.
Dark smoke could be seen during Monday’s late-night test.
With @LenTesta Smoke looks to be clearing now. pic.twitter.com/LM8aCGH6md
— TouringPlans (@TouringPlans) August 31, 2021
The dark smoke was visible on the horizon before it began to clear. It’s a bit difficult to see in the video above, so we lightened a screenshot of the smoke to make it easier to spot.
Scott Gustin, a reliable source of Disney news, was able to confirm a fire did break out at the testing site. No info on damage or location, but it’s why Happily Ever After was held without pyro.
I don’t have any information about any possible damage to the fireworks launch site or the exact location of the fire near the launch site – but it *is* the reason fireworks were canceled tonight.
— Scott Gustin (@ScottGustin) September 1, 2021
This isn’t the first time Happily Ever After has been presented without fireworks. High winds have forced the show to go projections-only a few times in the past.
A safe guess would suggest an errant shell caused the fire, but that’s speculation. We have seen shells exploding too low in the past, but Disney has safety measures (sprinklers) in place to prevent fires from starting.
While we’re not sure how much damage the fire caused, we are aware Disney is scrambling to bring fireworks back as soon as possible.
