Fire that damaged Colossus roller coaster sparked by welders

Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials said the fire that damaged the wooden coaster Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain on Monday was sparked by welders working on the ride.

There were no injuries as a result of the blaze, which was reported at 1:32 p.m., said Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Scott Miller. The fire tore through one of the coaster’s peaks.

Fire crews extinguished the flames about 1:50 p.m. A portion of the structure collapsed, opening a hole in the track.

The 36-year-old roller coaster closed in mid-August after the Valencia theme park announced plans to revamp it into a hybrid wood-and-steel coaster named Twisted Colossus. It was scheduled to open next year.

Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction, which has converted a number of wooden coasters into hybrid rides with looping inversions, landed the makeover job.

Construction crews were slated to remove the upper level of track from the horseshoe turnaround segment of the ride. The right spur of track departing from the station is also to be demolished.

In all, more than 3,000 feet of track will be removed from the structure as it transforms into Twisted Colossus.

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