An Animatronic Caught Fire at Universal Orlando on August 27, the Morning After Reign of Kong Last Ran a Full Day

Until Wednesday, talk that a fire had closed Skull Island: Reign of Kong was only an online rumor. Now the Orlando Fire Department says an animatronic at Universal Orlando caught fire on the morning of August 27, though its report does not name the ride.

Florida Politics reported the fire on Wednesday, citing the department's incident report and a statement from the department. The fire was reported just before 10 a.m. on August 27, nobody was hurt, and the department said the attraction was closed at the time. The department responded to the 6000 block of Universal Boulevard.

"Upon arrival, the fire was extinguished by Universal staff," the department told Florida Politics in a statement. "There were no injuries, nor extension of the fire. The attraction was closed when the incident occurred."

The Skull Island: Reign of Kong marquee. Image: Universal Orlando Resort

What the fire report says, and what it does not

Florida Politics quotes the incident report as saying "The fire had damaged the machinery only," and says the report found the fire did not damage the building. When the outlet requested public records, the department said there were no 911 calls tied to the incident.

The report does not say which ride was involved. Florida Politics says "all signs point to" Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal Islands of Adventure, and the timing fits. As we reported on September 12, Thrill Data's wait time history shows Kong's last full operating day was Wednesday, August 26. The next day, August 27, has no readings at all. That is the same day as the fire.

Universal said "damage," not fire

Universal's public explanation so far is a two-sentence statement: "During routine maintenance, the King Kong animatronic sustained damage and is undergoing repairs. We look forward to welcoming guests back once the work is complete."

That statement does not mention a fire. Blog Mickey, which had written up the fire rumor before the records came out, noted that "Universal did not confirm or deny that a fire was the cause of the damage." Florida Politics says Universal did not immediately respond when the outlet asked for comment late Wednesday afternoon.

The Kong animated figure in Universal's publicity photography. Image: Universal Orlando Resort

Still closed, with no date

Kong is the ride's finale, the encounter the truck expedition builds to. Universal's own Discover Universal guide describes him as "a Megaprimatus, an ancient species of giant ape standing approximately three stories tall." Universal has not said how much of the figure was damaged or how long repairs will take.

When we checked Queue-Times at 13:06 UTC on Thursday, September 17, it still listed Skull Island: Reign of Kong as closed. Counting August 27 as day one, that makes Thursday the 22nd day of the closure, and Universal has not announced a reopening date.

The temple gate at dusk. Image: Universal Orlando Resort

Our take: the useful news for anyone planning a trip is the same as last week: plan without Kong for now and check its status on the day. What changed is that a fire at Universal Orlando is now on the record, even though the report does not name the ride. Universal has already said the Kong figure itself sustained damage, and for a ride that builds to one giant figure, damage to that figure is damage to the finale. Universal has yet to put any timeline on getting it back.

Sources

• Florida Politics, Universal Orlando animatronic catches on fire, Orlando Fire Department says
• Blog Mickey, Rumored Audio-Animatronic Fire at Universal's King Kong Attraction Causes Weeks of Downtime
• Thrill Data, Skull Island: Reign of Kong wait times and history
• Queue-Times, Islands of Adventure live queue times (checked September 17, 2026, 13:06 UTC)
• Discover Universal, Complete Guide to Skull Island: Reign of Kong at Universal Islands of Adventure
• Universal Orlando Resort media site, Skull Island: Reign of Kong photography

Image credits: All three photographs are official Universal Orlando Resort publicity images showing the attraction in normal operation, not its current state.