Fire causes evacuation of water ride at Florida theme park

By the CNN Wire Staff

January 2, 2011 -- Updated 0216 GMT (1016 HKT)

Smoke billows from a fire Saturday at the Islands of Adventure theme park in Orlando, Florida.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Rest of the park open
• Investigators look into the cause of the fire, officials say
• No one transported from the park
• Ripsaw Falls ride is closed indefinitely, Universal Studios says

(CNN) -- A fire Saturday led to the evacuation and indefinite closing of a water flume ride at the Islands of Adventure park in Orlando, Florida, officials said.

The Orlando Fire Department got the call just after 5 p.m. and raced to the Universal Studios venue, Deputy Chief Greg Hoggatt said.

Dozens of patrons were at the Ripsaw Falls ride, but only a few were in the area where the smoke was noticed by an employee, Universal Studios spokesman Tom Schroder said. Staffers shut the ride down and got passengers out of the area.

A structure that houses part of the ride was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. They were able to knock it down in 30 minutes and contain it in 45 minutes, Hoggatt said.

The rest of the park was open Saturday evening, as investigators began looking into a cause, officials said.

Officials did not have a damage estimate and did not know when the ride, which is in the Toon Lagoon portion of the park, would reopen, Schroder said.

While some guests complained about smoke, no one was transported from the park for additional medical assistance, according to Schroder.

CNN's Chuck Johnston and Tina Burnside contributed to this report.