Five employees from Disneyland were urgently transported to the hospital following a hazardous materials situation at the California theme park, as confirmed by the Anaheim Fire Department.
Fire crews responded to the scene after a group of workers reported an unusual odor and minor health symptoms around 12:30 p.m. local time, according to department spokesperson Matt Sutter, who spoke with the Daily Mail.
The affected employees were located in the backstage area of the Star Tours attraction and complained of minor pain, breathing difficulties, and dizziness.
A Disney representative informed the Daily Mail that construction materials being utilized by a contractor in the backstage area triggered a reaction among the employees, leading to symptoms like shortness of breath and dizziness.
Sutter assured that no guests were impacted by the incident. All five workers were transported to a nearby hospital for further evaluation, while others received on-site medical attention from paramedics.
As a precautionary measure, guests in the vicinity were evacuated from nearby public areas to ensure their safety.
Star Tours is a 3D motion simulator attraction at Disneyland that allows guests to go on various, ultra-realistic Star Wars adventures. It opened in May 2013.
The attraction is located in the Tomorrowland section of the park. Other rides in that area include Space Mountain, Astro Orbitor and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters.
Five people, all theme park employees, were taken to the hospital after an unknown odor was reported at Disneyland in Anaheim, California (Pictured: The Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland)
Building materials being used by a contractor backstage ‘produced a reaction’, including shortness of breath and dizziness, in employees, a Disney spokesperson told the Daily Mail
The news comes after a Las Vegas couple were toppled by a massive tree at Disneyland while trying to enjoy a romantic trip together.
LeWanda and Mark Joseph were sitting at a table outside the theme park’s Plaza Inn restaurant at 11.40pm on February 17 when a strong gust of wind sent the tree tumbling.
The couple are Magic Keyholders at Disneyland and had traveled from Las Vegas for Sweethearts’ Nite, an after-hours Valentine’s themed event.
LeWanda and Joseph were instructed to sit at the table for a Lady and the Tramp photo opportunity and recreate the movie’s iconic spaghetti scene, People reported.
‘That was the one photo we really wanted to do,’ LeWanda told the outlet.
‘Like two seconds after my husband sat down, he heard the tree snap. I just felt it, and I screamed.’
Mark heard the snap behind him and saw the Ficus tree begin to waver, falling on top of his wife, he told KTLA.
He ran over to LeWanda to help her, lifting the branches off of her as staff rushed to assist.
The latest emergency comes after a Las Vegas couple were toppled by a massive tree at Disneyland while trying to enjoy a romantic trip together
LeWanda and Mark Joseph attended Sweetheart’s Nite at Disneyland on February 17 when the terrifying incident unfolded
The couple was treated for minor injuries by Disneyland First Aid.
Meanwhile, Disneyland’s sister park, Disneyworld, has been hit with unthinkable tragedies in recent years.
The happiest place on earth had a sixth person die at the park after a officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said they received a call about a body in January at the Orange Garage of Disney Springs, a shopping and dining district at the theme park.
‘This incident is being investigated as a possible suicide,’ the sheriff’s office said in a statement at the time.
It was the sixth death over the course of just four months.
The first was reported on October 14, when Disney superfan Summer Equitz, 31, took her own life at the Contemporary Resort Hotel.
Her cause of death was ruled as multiple blunt impact injuries, with the medical examiner providing no further information.
Equitz, who visited Disney World during her honeymoon, had flown out to the resort from Illinois without telling her family before she died.
Meanwhile, Disneyland’s sister park, Disneyworld, has been hit with unthinkable tragedies in recent years. Disney superfan Summer Equitz (left), 31, died by suicide at the Contemporary Resort Hotel on October 14, and aspiring NFL referee Matthew Cohn (right), 28, died by suicide at the resort on October 23
Just days later, on October 21, an unidentified 60-year-old man died after suffering a medical episode at the Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.
The man had been traveling with his wife, who found him unresponsive.
The Nurse Anesthetists’ report, reviewed by People, did not include a cause of death, but noted that he suffered from hypertension and end-stage liver disease.
Aspiring NFL referee Matthew Cohn, 28, also died by suicide at the same hotel as Equitz on October 23. He reportedly jumped from a balcony.
A fourth vacationer died in the early hours of November 2 – a woman in her 40s who was found unresponsive at the Pop Century Resort.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
