Firefighters rushed to extinguish a fire at AstroWorld in southwest Houston Wednesday morning, KPRC Local 2 reported.
The control house of the ride known as Greased Lightning caught on fire shortly after 6:30 a.m.
Firefighters said the ride known was being dismantled Tuesday with extremely hot equipment and that the structure was left smoldering all night, which caused a small structure on the ride to go up in flames.
"Hot torches were being used to remove some of the structural metal that holds the ride in place. Apparently, some smoldering, hot metal fell underneath the control room of the ride itself and smoldered in the evening. That's what we determined was the cause of the fire," AstroWorld spokeswoman Donna Marie Jendritza told KPRC Local 2.
Arson investigators were called to investigate the fire but they ruled it accidental. An investigator with the fire department told KPRC Local 2 that some of the smoldering metal probably fell beneath the ride and set some dry leaves on fire.
Three people inside a business office at the park escaped the park without injuries.
Greased Lightning is one of the rides the theme park company is selling during a three-day auction at the park this weekend.
Jendritza said anyone interested in buying the ride should not worry.
"There's no damage to the ride itself it was just to the cue house that the ride was attached to," Jendritza said.
Oklahoma City-based Six Flags Incorporated had operated the park, built in 1968, since 1975. Six Flags officials opted to sell the 109-acre site rather than make additional investments during a time of dwindling attendance. A real estate agent said he expects the parcel, which sits across the street from Reliant Stadium, will be split up and developed for a myriad of uses.
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