From the Sandusky Register…
SANDUSKY
A portion of Cedar Point’s largest wooden roller coaster caught fire late Tuesday, but a quick response from Sandusky firefighters spared the ride from any major damage.
The city’s firefighters were called to the park at about 9:30 p.m. because the amusement park’s own firefighters were not there. The park is now closed during the week, open only on weekends for HalloWeekends.
Firefighters said a section of track near the Mean Streak’s second hill somehow caught fire. Workers at the park had been repairing the ride and replacing boards earlier on Tuesday, and part of that work required them to cut metal bolts.
Since there were no heating sources near the fire location, firefighters speculated one of those bolts heated up after being cut, then dropped near the wood. The hot wood may have smoldered for some time until the wind breathed life into the embers hours later and sparked a small blaze.
The fire was small, limited to a 5-foot section of track and boards near the Mean Streak’s second hill.
Crews using one ladder truck completely extinguished the flames by 10:30 p.m. Firefighters said park personnel already planned to replace the boards that burned, so the fire caused no lasting damage.
According to the park’s website, Mean Streak contains 1.7 million feet of Southern yellow pine.
This was the second fire at the park this year.
On July 6 a 5,000-square-foot service building at the park caught fire. Investigators never determined the cause, but suspected an electrical malfunction was to blame.
