By Veronica Rocha and Lauren Raab
The Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — A fire that erupted Monday on the classic wooden coaster Colossus at Six Flags Magic Mountain consumed the top of the lift hill before it was extinguished.
No injuries were reported as a result of the fire, which Los Angeles County fire Inspector Scott Miller said was reported at about 1:32 p.m.
Aerial television news footage shows fire crews extinguishing the blaze around 1:50 p.m. as a portion of the structure collapsed, opening a hole in the track.
Magic Mountain officials said the ride was undergoing construction at the time of the fire, according to Inspector Scott Miller of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Firefighters often train at park, but mostly for rescues, he said.
“It’s not something you see every day,” he said of the fire.
No park visitors were riding Colossus at the time of the fire — the 36-year-old roller coaster closed in mid-August.
Less than two weeks ago, the Valencia theme park announced plans to revamp it into a hybrid wood-and-steel coaster named Twisted Colossus, 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. Similarly, 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.”
Set to debut at the amusement park in 2015, the ride is to be built by Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction, which has converted a number of wooden coasters into hybrid rides.
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