A fire early this morning destroyed a building at a popular amusement park in central Iowa. Altoona Fire Captain Ryan Young says the fire at Adventureland was discovered at 3:30 a.m.
“A security guard who’s on site heard a boom. The guard shack is outside the fence and he turned around and said he saw the flames above the fence area,” Young said. The building, which was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived, housed a corn dog restaurant.
No one was injured. Young said it’s likely there was an electrical problem in the building, but the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
It’s the second major fire at Adventureland in recent years. A fire in February 2010, sparked by heavy snow that brought down a roof and ripped electrical wiring, burned down a large structure that housed a restaurant, video arcade, bingo parlor, souvenir store and more.
The fire this morning did not spread to other buildings or rides. “That’s what our initial fears were because a couple years ago we had that fire on the main street area,” Young said. “This was a stand-alone building and there was really nothing else it was going to endanger. It stayed contained to this one building.”
The now destroyed corn dog restaurant, which includes a large awning for outdoor seating, is located on the west side of the amusement park near the log ride. No one was injured.