A section of the popular Alton Towers theme park was evacuated today after a “small contained fire” in the Forbidden Valley area. The fire broke out inside a toilet block that was not in use at the time, and was quickly dealt with by staff before fire crews arrived. Staff extinguished the fire before emergency services arrived, and the area was temporarily evacuated as a precaution and closed for about an hour. 

One visitor said on X (formerly Twitter) that they were “confused as hell” after being evacuated. Another guest wrote on X: “Never had a whole area of Alton Towers evacuated before! I’m confused as hell I hope nothing too serious has happened.”

A spokesperson for Alton Towers Resort said: “Earlier today, a small, contained fire was discovered by a colleague in a toilet facility within the Forbidden Valley area of the Resort.

“Our team quickly put out the fire, and as a precaution, we temporarily evacuated the area while we established the cause.

“We’d like to thank our guests for their cooperation. The safety and wellbeing of our guests and team members is always our top priority.”

Alton Towers staff managed to extinguish the fire before the fire brigade arrived and fire crews remained on site as a precaution and later confirmed the area was clear and safe to reopen.

The toilet block was not in use at the time, and no smoke or burning trees were involved, contrary to reports shared online.

The rest of the resort remained open and operational throughout, Alton Towers said. 

Alton Towers is a popular theme park and resort located near the village of Alton in Staffordshire and offers 500 acres worth of rides, gardens, themed hotels, gardens, and even a mini-golf and a waterpark. 

Alton Towers is the UK’s largest theme park. It reported a year-on-year rise in visitor numbers for 2024, and in 2023, the resort attracted 2.35 million guests, marking a 13% increase on previous years, according to figures from Merlin Entertainments.