From the Orlando Sentinel
Passengers were evacuated from the monorail at Walt Disney World Resort Sunday evening after a power failure, according to a Disney spokeswoman.
No one was injured in the incident, but about 120 people were evacuated from the six-car train, which stopped on the Epcot line near the Wilderness Lodge, officials said. Some guests climbed out of the roof of one car and back down through another to use stairs attached to a monorail beam, said Bo Jones, assistant chief with Reedy Creek Emergency Services. Others were lowered on a platform with rails attached to a Reedy Creek fire truck.
The monorail shut down about 6:30 p.m. during stormy weather, but Disney employees were able to restart several other trains that were on the system and return them to stations, said Disney spokeswoman Andrea Finger. The train that stopped and was evacuated was between the Ticket and Transportation Center and the Wilderness Lodge, Jones said.
Resort visitors posted pictures of a ladder truck from Reedy Creek Emergency Services extended up to the monorail not far from Disney’s Wilderness Lodge. Renee Wells of Valdosta, Ga., was on the monorail train with her family and took several photos before the evacuation, according to a cousin, who posted them on Twitter.
One of Wells’ photos showed that guests drew Mickey ears in condensation on monorail windows after the power went out.
Reedy Creek firefighters began evacuating passengers about 7 p.m., after several power restart attempts failed, Jones said. All of the passengers were evacuated by 8 p.m., he said. This was the first time in at least three or four years that a monorail had to be evacuated, Jones said.
Finger said that guests were then transported to their final destinations. Disney officials will be working to move the train tonight, Finger said.
This is a breaking news story, as more details emerge, TMSM will keep you up to date.
As co-owner and co-creator of The Main Street Mouse.Working in a technical support position for 18 years, it was time for a change.As the Webmaster and Project Planner, I spend most of my time researching everything from the latest Disney News, technology advances and of course keeping up on all the Marvel news that comes out.I never considered myself a writer but I’ve come to like blogging and sharing news with all.I feel blessed everyday that I get to spend my days working with my best friend and love of my life while we continue to grow and expand what started as a hobby all those years ago.
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