Fire Breaks Out Near Guests During Disney’s Harmonious

We all love the iconic Disney scents of “Rome Burning” during EPCOT’s Spaceship Earth and the fires of Pirates of the Caribbean, but what happens when fire becomes real at Walt Disney World?

Disney’s new nighttime spectacular Harmonious dazzles Guests with its fireworks, projections, and Disney songs performed in a variety of languages. But Guests recently were dazzled with some extra, unplanned pyrotechnics during the EPCOT show.

It’s not often incidents, injuries, or emergencies happen at the Walt Disney World Resort. Though theme parks have a variety of safety protocols in place, with thousands of Guests enjoying the magic of theme parks daily, accidents and injuries are sometimes an unwanted occurrence during a trip.

And Guests watching a showing of Harmonious were in for a pyrotechnic surprise when a small fire caught aflame close to the edge of World Showcase Lagoon.

Twitter user @sharatmpal shared a video on April 11 of a fire burning near Guests during EPCOT’s Harmonious:

Fire during Epcot Orlando Harmonious fireworks today @WaltDisneyWorld …this guy saved hundreds standing nearby

Fire during Epcot Orlando Harmonious fireworks today @WaltDisneyWorld..this guy saved hundreds standing nearby. pic.twitter.com/AKOoAyc1Hy

— Sharat MP (@sharatmpal) April 12, 2022

The video shows a small fire close to Guests near the edge of the World Showcase Lagoon during the Princess and the Frog (2009) segment of the show. There appears to be a Cast Member or fire department member attempting to put out the fire, with EPCOT Guests watching on.

The cause of the fire is not known at the time of writing, but the nighttime fireworks show uses numerous pyrotechnic effects that could have gone astray.

Twitter user @nakai_barnor also shared a video of the incident during Harmonious at EPCOT:

Ummmmm #Harmonious got a little too lit tonight..#Epcot

Ummmmm #Harmonious got a little too lit tonight..#Epcot pic.twitter.com/lEQMTA4OJz

— Nakai (@nakai_barnor) April 12, 2022

The video shows the same World Showcase Lagoon fire, but interestingly, Disney Park Guests seen nearby are not reacting to the fire as flames and smoke can be seen behind them.

Fires like this in Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme parks at Walt Disney World are not common. Disney implements many safety features and preventative measures to

Over in Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World has had to take some extra precautions for the health and safety of Disney Parks Guests and Cast Members during the fireworks spectacular. Fantasyland’s buildings are topped with sprinklers that are timed to soak the structures after each Disney Enchantment performance, to help prevent fires close to Guests and Cinderella Castle.

Back in March, the roof of the show building of Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid at the Magic Kingdom caught aflame after Disney Enchantment, the result of embers being blown across in north winds.

EPCOT’s Harmonious debuted on October 1 as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration, dubbed “The World’s Most Magical Celebration”. The fireworks show is one of the largest ever created by Disney and replaced the beloved Illuminations: Reflections of Earth that ran for 20 years at the theme park.

Harmonious celebrates the cultures and stories that have inspired classic Disney movies, with iconic Disney songs performed in various languages and remixes during the show.

Bob Chapek, Disney’s controversial current CEO, developed Harmonious to showcase the Disney stories and songs that have inspired the world. The EPCOT fireworks show is full of reimagined Disney visuals and music – tracks that are sung by over 240 musicians and vocalists from nine different countries. Harmonious is divided into three chapters: “Gather”, “Celebrate”, and “Unite”, and features scenes from Moana (2016), Mulan (1998), Coco (2017), The Lion King (1994), and our personal favorite, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996).

The show uses pyrotechnics, water fountains, lasers, and LED screens to present a 360° audio-visual experience on the theme park’s World Showcase Lagoon. Guests have debated the new floating barges that are permanently moored at the center of the lagoon, with the previous barges of Illuminations being less prominent in the water.

The unexpected fire is a rare incident at Walt Disney World and Disney has an abundance of preventative measures in place to keep Guests and Cast Members safe. Let’s hope tonight’s 9 p.m. showing of Harmonious at EPCOT goes off without any extra pyrotechnics!