A Fire Breaks Out at EPCOT

After several red flag warnings, the unthinkable happened at EPCOT. Find out what we know so far about this incident.

Emergency Warnings at Disney

Magic Kingdom festival of fantasy parade maleficent fire dragon — Credit: KtP

Emergencies can occur even in the most magical place on earth. Florida has been hit pretty hard this year with record low temps, a fog advisory, an even a ground stop to all flights last night at the Orlando International Airport.

Over the past couple of weeks, a Red Flag warning has been issued for Walt Disney World. The “Red Flag” fire weather watch alerts guests of an extreme immediate fire risk.

Out of an abundance of caution, Walt Disney World issued a ban on avoiding open flames or sparks. Thankfully, this did not seem to affect nighttime entertainment involving fireworks.

Fire at EPCOT

Guests traveling along the Disney Skyliner noticed thick black smoke billowing from the France pavilion. Emergency vehicles can be seen on-site to help with this emergency situation

Information is still coming in regarding this incident, at first we heard that this originated French dining locations. We later heard that the fire was caused by a backstage cooler.

Thankfully, the emergency teams were able to extinguish the flames quickly. You can see the footage of this incident courtesy of @ryanwmsn:

Fire at Disney Epcot pic.twitter.com/PRhRSiaVHD
— Ryan (@ryanwmsn) March 22, 2025

Disney Evacuations

Skyliner france epcot picture — Credit: Kate

Disney Cast Members were able to quickly evacuate to the France pavilion when the fire began. The smoke undoubtedly will impact guests visiting Epcot along with guests staying at and visiting along the Disney Boardwalk.

A fire broke out near the France pavilion at Epcot around 7:00 pm on March 22, 2025.

We are thankful for the many well-trained Cast Members who go above and beyond every day to keep the magic going and to help keep all guests safe.

Update: Disney shares that the fire was quickly extinguished and no one was injured.

Were you at EPCOT for this evacuation? Have you ever been evacuated while at a Disney Park? What was your experience? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney pals.