Dragon catches fire during Disneyland show

By Tiffany WertheimerBBC News, London

Crowds enjoying a live performance at Disneyland in California were left stunned on Saturday night when a giant animatronic dragon caught fire.

Videos online show Maleficent, the 45ft (13m) fire-breathing dragon, quickly being engulfed in flames, as firefighters try to control the blaze.

It happened during Fantasmic, a live performance featuring gravity-defying water displays, pyrotechnics and Mickey Mouse (usually) saving the day.

No-one was injured in the fire.

At one stage, a large explosion of fire shoots out of the dragon, as the crowd can be heard gasping and Disney staff yell out to "clear the area".

Due to the thick smoke, park patrons were evacuated from several nearby attractions, Disney said in a statement.

It added that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and for now, any similar fire effects will be suspended at all of its theme parks around the world "out of an abundance of caution".

This is not the first time Maleficent has misbehaved - sitting on a float during a parade, her head caught fire in 2018 at Disney World in Florida.

Maleficent is the main villain in Sleeping Beauty, and turns from "the mistress of all evil" to a dragon to fight Prince Phillip in Disney's 1959 film.

She was reimagined for a live-action film in 2014, and portrayed by Angelina Jolie.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o67CZ5qopV%2Bjsri%2FjrCmq6SUYsK0ecKapZqckWKDdn%2BWaWdtag%3D%3D