Just like that, one of America's most legendary roller coasters has gone up in flames.
Well, not all of it. While the wooden Colossus roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain was already slated to be transformed into a wood and steel hybrid called the Twisted Colossus, nobody expected part of the coaster to burn down prematurely yesterday.
A spark from welders working on renovating the coaster is suspected to be the cause of the fire, which resulted in part of the 36-year-old attraction collapsing, according to the LA Times. Los Angeles County fire inspector Scott Miller told the LA Times that there didn't appear to be any immediate threat of more of the coaster collapsing as a result of the fire, but that Six Flags officials will determine how to move forward.
Thankfully, nobody was screaming down the Colossus's 100-foot drop when the fire started. The ride closed down in mid-August to make way for the renovations, and the entire Magic Kingdom park was closed on the day of the fire.
More than 3,000 feet of track will be removed from Colossus during the transformation into the Twisted Colossus. It's a sad day for many roller coaster fans. Thousands flocked to the park several weeks ago to ride the Colossus one last time, while another group came to protest its closing. They argued the coaster should be considered a historic landmark.
The coaster, built in 1978, was once the fastest and tallest roller coaster in the world. Wooden coasters can scarcely compete with the steel behemoths of the modern age, however, and now the Colossus doesn't even make the top 10 coasters in the world.
Magic Mountain will likely be looking to change that when with the Twisted Colossus reboot of the coaster. The new coaster will feature dueling tracks nearly 5,000 feet long and is being billed as the world's longest "hybrid" coaster. Riders of the new Twisted Colossus will experience 18 airtime hills, two lift hills, two 80-degree drops, two zero-G roll inversions and two "high-five" moments between riders in separate trains, a first for an American roller coaster.
Perhaps it is fitting for the Colossus, once the world's greatest, to go down in the blaze of glory. While this new coaster sounds intense, the memories fans have of the original won't be replaced anytime soon.
