Cars catch fire in Disneyland parking structure, no injuries

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) Nine cars were destroyed or damaged by fires in the main parking structure Monday at Disneyland, and seven people were treated for smoke inhalation but their injuries aren’t serious, authorities said.

The fires that broke out at the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure were extinguished about 30 minutes after they were reported, and firefighters were working to clear smoke so they could work to determine a cause, fire officials said.

Seven people, all Disney employees, were treated for smoke inhalation, but only one was taken to a hospital and none of the injuries were life-threatening, Anaheim fire Sgt. Daron Wyatt said.

Gray smoke could be seen pouring out of the structure when the blazes were first reported on the level 3 “Mickey” section at the height of the flames. Hundreds of park visitors and employees were stuck outside the structure unable to get to their cars until the evacuation and shutdown ended after about two hours.

“A lot of people are just tired, they’ve been here all day. It’s more of a nuisance than anything,” Darren Clark, whose family of four couldn’t get to their car because of the shutdown, told KNBC-TV. “I’m kind of hoping it’s not my vehicle.”

The Mickey & Friends Structure, with sections named for Disney characters and trams that take visitors to the entrance to the Disney Resort’s two theme parks, is a familiar spot for millions of visitors who pay $18 to park then return to their cars exhausted after long days.

The Disney parks themselves remained open. Disney representatives referred questions about the blaze to fire officials.