A massive animatronic dinosaur was struck by lightning and caught fire at a theme park in Kansas over the weekend.
Firefighters in Derby responded to the situation around 8:30 p.m. on Saturday after reports of lightning hitting the park, known as Field Station Dinosaur. The Derby Fire Department shared details on Facebook.
Upon arrival, crews discovered a replica of Sauroposeidon, a 100-foot-long animatronic weighing about 60 tons, engulfed in flames. This particular dinosaur is one of the park’s main attractions.
Guy Gazelle, the executive producer of “Field Station: Dinosaurs,” mentioned in an interview that witnesses observed the lightning hitting the building.
“People on the ground actually saw lightning,” Gazelle noted.
Firefighters from surrounding areas joined forces to put out the blaze, which was extinguished without causing additional damage to the park. Gazelle pointed out that the park was closed at that time, and thankfully, no injuries were reported.
In a humorous take, the fire department quipped on Facebook, “This is the first dinosaur fire Derby has experienced in 65 million years.”
Sadly, the damage was extensive: the animatronic was completely destroyed, leaving just the steel frame behind. Gazelle explained that all the motors and internal components were burned out, and the skin was completely gone.
Interestingly, the building had recently undergone repairs due to damage from prior storms, just before this incident occurred.
“I had just repaired it and was waiting to paint it when it got hit by lightning,” he mentioned.
Despite the destruction, the park reopened the following day, with many other dinosaur exhibits still available for visitors. Plans are in place to create educational displays from the remains of the animatronic, allowing guests to see how they were constructed.
“We’ll have a frame out there that people can see, and that’s something most folks never get to witness,” Gazelle stated.
Field Station: Dinosaurs spans 10 acres and features over 40 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs, walking trails, live shows, and interactive exhibits. Gazelle expressed relief that the fire didn’t spread further.
“Dinosaurs weren’t particularly close to each other, so it didn’t spread,” he noted. “We were very lucky.”
