ORLANDO, Fla. --
Officials at Universal Orlando wouldn't disclose on Monday exactly what caused its Harry Potter ride to stop Friday night while it was loaded with passengers.
Authorities said everyone got off safely, but some guests who paid to see the new attraction weren't pleased.
Officials with the Orlando Fire Department said a capacity crowd of 132 parkgoers were aboard the ride when it malfunctioned on Friday. Whether it was a computer glitch or some other type of problem, representatives from Universal Orlando would only say it was a stoppage they consider rare and harmless.
A guest called 911, when the stuck ride left her in an awkward position. Firefighters assisted park staff to get those aboard the ride to safety.
"Universal, of course, handled it professionally, and we assisted, as needed," Orlando Fire Department District Chief Paul James said.
James said nobody was hurt -- or even on edge -- by the time they arrived.
"They had their evacuation equipment in place, and they were using it to unload the cars. Everyone was calm; everyone was professional," James said.
"The part break while I was waiting to enter and stopped the attraction," a guest said.
A guest from Brazil said he was scared at first, but he said he was OK.
Universal officials said on Monday that the problem was a "minor moment in the history of an innovative attraction that has performed flawlessly for more than a half million people. Ride and safety systems reacted exactly as they were supposed to, and our team members performed flawlessly ... quickly resolved the issue and the ride opened on time the next day."
Officials with the Orlando Fire Department pointed out that it trains for evacuations from theme park attractions before the rides open, and Friday's incident went according to plan.
Copyright 2010 by WESH.COM. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
