Riders stranded after power outage at Carowinds, officials say

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Park officials said there was a power failure at Carowinds amusement park Thursday night.

The outage affected more than half of the rides and trapped some riders on them.

Park officials said they believe a Duke Energy transformer blew, causing the power failure. Thankfully, no one was injured. Duke Energy said Friday that one of their transformers that feeds the park failed and briefly caught fire. Hazmat crews responded to clean up a small oil spill and the cause of the failure is still being investigated.

Several rides were stopped and safely evacuated, according to officials.

A viewer sent Channel 9 a photo of the Windseeker, where 17 people were stranded when the outage happened. The ride stands 300 feet tall.

Channel 9 was told riders were also stuck on the Intimidator roller coaster and it took some riders hours to be lowered to the ground.

“I'm glad I wasn't up there and I don't know what I would do if I was stuck up there,” said one patron. “They've been up there over an hour."

Carowinds said in a statement, "As always, the safety of our guests and associates is our highest priority."

Carowinds will operate on a normal schedule Friday but because of the partial power outage, some rides and attractions will be closed, including Barracuda Blasters, Sand Dune Lagoon, Southern Sidewinder and Whitewater Falls.

Channel 9 has reported on problems with it in the past, including last season when passengers were stranded in the air after a safety mechanism was triggered.

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