With only one day left in the South Florida Fair, three people suffered minor injuries early Sunday morning when a popular ride caught fire.
A leak in the hydraulic system of the Orbiter caused oil to spill onto the heated areas of the ride and spark flames, which were extinguished minutes later, fire rescue officials said. The fire occurred about 12:30 a.m. during the fair's late-night extravaganza, Midnight Magic, on its site west of West Palm Beach. About 20 people were evacuated from the ride.
Two people sustained minor burns and were transported to Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee, including one whose eye was sprayed with hydraulic fluid during the incident. Both were treated and released. A third person was treated at the fair.
Teresa Grimail, with her 12-year-old sister, Amber, in tow, had been bracing for the fast-spinning Orbiter, which was to be their last thrill for the night. The 20-year-old West Palm Beach resident was on a nearby ride with Amber when she saw flames curl up 50 feet away from her. All the passengers were evacuated.
"At first there was this ball engulfed in flames and people were just running from it, children, everyone. Then the fire slowly crept its way down and ate up the whole Orbiter," she said. Grimail saw rescue workers scramble to the flames, while deputies held the crowds back. A girl emerged with a burn on her arm, Grimail said.
"It was scary. Next year I'll think twice before I put myself or my son on a ride," she said.
The ride, which spins passengers seated at the end of its rotating arms, was shut down, and the fire is under investigation. The damage to the Orbiter, valued at $100,000, was estimated at $50,000, officials said.
This wasn't the first time injuries have marred the two-week fair, which includes animal exhibits, concerts and amusement rides. During the opening weekend, a man broke his arm on a roller-coaster ride, fair officials said, but state inspectors determined he failed to follow the ride's safety rules.
Last year, five people were slightly injured when a startled cow jumped a fence and ran down Southern Boulevard. In 2002, a 13-year-old boy lost the tip of his finger while riding a mechanical bull, and a toddler's thumb was cut off in 2001 when the boy's hand got caught in the rotating turntable of a kiddie fun house.
The Orbiter was manufactured by Tivoli, a European company, and will be inspected at the company's Texas factory, said Howard Pringle, director of operations with Conklin Shows Inc., the fair's main amusement ride contractor.
The exact mechanical cause of the fire was not yet known, Pringle said.
"These rides are gone over with a fine-toothed comb daily," he said.
The Orbiter seats 36 people and is roughly 10 years old, according to Pringle. Several of the rides are between 20 and 30 years old, and age-related wear and tear was not a factor in the accident, he said.
