Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Evacuated Sunday Over a Reported Fire, Then Closes Again Monday Alongside Tiana's

For the second time this year, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad has closed amid reports of a fire. Cast members evacuated the Magic Kingdom coaster and its queue on Sunday afternoon, September 27, and a guest who was in line says cast members told everyone there was an emergency. Another says a cast member told them it was a fire.

Disney has not confirmed a fire or given a reason for the closure. Then on Monday, Big Thunder went down again, a few hours after its Frontierland neighbor, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, stopped running and had most of its water drained.

Cast members at the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad entrance, from WDW News Today's report on Monday's closure. Photo: WDW News Today

What guests say happened Sunday

The accounts come from a thread on Reddit's r/DisneyWorld, relayed by Inside the Magic and WDW News Today. As quoted by WDW News Today, the guest who started it wrote that they were almost at the front of the line when the ride was shut down:

"We stood in line and were almost there when the cast members frantically closed the ride and ushered everyone out saying there was an emergency," they wrote, adding that about a dozen or more people formed a line across the area "so you couldn't even get close." They also said they "Never saw police or EMS."

According to WDW News Today, that guest confirmed in a comment that it happened at about 2:30 p.m. Another commenter wrote, "There was a fire and we were all evacuated. I was in line and this is what the CM said."

WDW News Today reports that ride-tracking data from Thrill Data shows Big Thunder was down on Sunday from roughly 2:54 p.m. until 6:50 p.m. The ride then ran without trouble through the evening and was back up Monday morning.

Then Monday, two Frontierland rides went down

Monday's trouble started at Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which stopped running at about 10:11 a.m. About an hour later, WDW News Today saw that most of the ride's water had been drained. WDW News Today also spotted empty log vehicles lined up near the ride's start. The water was later refilled. Cast members blamed "technical difficulties" and could not say when it would reopen.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure with its flume mostly drained during Monday's downtime. Photo: WDW News Today

Big Thunder went down just before 1 p.m. Monday. WDW News Today said it does not know whether the two closures are related, and Inside the Magic reported that Disney had not given a reason for either one.

By Monday evening both were running again. In an article published at about 4 p.m., Inside the Magic reported that Tiana's had reopened with a 30-minute posted wait while Big Thunder was still down. At 7:10 p.m. Eastern, the Queue-Times wait-time tracker showed Big Thunder open with a 45-minute wait and Tiana's open at 85 minutes.

The May 3 fire at Big Thunder

When the Reddit thread mentioned a fire, one reply relayed by Inside the Magic was simply "Again?" Inside the Magic took that as a reference to May 3, the day Big Thunder reopened after a nearly 16-month refurbishment. WDWMagic reported that the ride closed that evening "after a fire extinguisher was deployed at the attraction," and that video on social media "appears to show a small fire on the brake system at the loading station." The ride reopened at about 10:20 p.m. that night, and Disney did not comment on the cause.

Nobody has said Sunday's closure had the same cause, and the reports of an emergency and a fire on Sunday still come only from guests. If Disney says anything about either closure, we will update this story.

Riders on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in a Disney file photo, not from this week. Photo: Disney

If you are heading to Magic Kingdom soon

Both rides were running Monday night, but if Big Thunder or Tiana's is high on your list, check the My Disney Experience app before you walk to Frontierland. And if Tiana's is a must-do, plan around its refurbishment: Disney lists the ride as closing on November 2, with reopening expected in December 2026.

Sources

• WDW News Today, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Magic Kingdom Evacuated Yesterday Due to Reported Fire
• WDW News Today, Tiana's Bayou Adventure at Magic Kingdom Facing Extended Downtime, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Also Closed
• Inside the Magic, Magic Kingdom Partially Evacuated After Reported Fire at Disney World
• Inside the Magic, Entire Frontierland Area Closed at Magic Kingdom, Effective Immediately
• WDWMagic, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Reopens After Small Fire on Opening Day at Magic Kingdom
• Walt Disney World, Tiana's Bayou Adventure
• Queue-Times, Magic Kingdom wait times (checked September 28, 2026, 7:10 p.m. Eastern)

Image credits: Big Thunder entrance and Tiana's Bayou Adventure photos by WDW News Today. Big Thunder riders photo by Disney.