Fire won’t delay Colossus reopening, Magic Mountain says

A fire Monday that damaged the Colossus roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain will not delay the reopening of the iconic attraction next spring, theme park officials said.

“It will have no impact whatsoever on the timing,” park spokeswoman Sue Carpenter said Tuesday.

The peak season for theme parks begins during spring break and continues through summer.

The giant coaster--once the world’s tallest and fastest wooden coaster--was shut down Aug. 17 so workers could overhaul the ride with new steep banks, rolls and spirals on steel tracks. The 36-year-old ride will reopen as Twisted Colossus.

But during the work to remove the old tracks Monday, a welder’s torch sparked a fire at the top of the lift hill, causing a portion of the tracks to collapse, Carpenter said.

Workers were scheduled to inspect the damage Tuesday to evaluate the repairs needed, she said.

Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Construction has been hired to covert the coaster, but Carpenter said she wasn’t sure whose employees were working on the coaster Monday.

No injuries were reported from the fire.

Colossus has carried 68 million riders since opening in 1978.

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