The ride, which has a 100-foot vertical lift hill, stopped working at 5:21 p.m., according to the outlet.<\/p>\n
The Galveston Fire Department saved the last person on the ride shortly after 9 p.m. local time, with Chief Mike Varela Jr. adding that his \u201cfirefighters were ready today,\u201d and describing them as \u201ctop notch\u201d to Houston CBS affiliate KHOU<\/a>.<\/p>\n Pleasure Beach in Galveston, Texas Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.<\/p>\n He said the manlift that is usually used to help evacuate stranded customers had \u201cmechanical issues\u201d and therefore, the fire department needed to use its Tower 1 engine.<\/p>\n Varela told reporters: \u201cOf course they were shaken up from climbing that ladder down, being in that hot sun. They have been checked for dehydration and everyone seems to be doing pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cYou could tell they were shaken up, visually, and then you could see a sense of joy as well once their feet hit the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n Firefighters had to reassure the students that the equipment they were putting on them was going to keep them safe, he said.<\/p>\n Houston Independent School District (HISD) confirmed to ABC 7 that the eight riders were students who were on a field trip organized by Energized for STEM Academy Middle School and STEM Academy High School.<\/p>\n HISD said in a statement to the outlet that it was \u201cgrateful that all students, staff, and chaperones are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Landry’s Inc., which owns Pleasure Pier, told ABC 7 that the ride had malfunctioned and stopped as it was designed to do. They said that the fire department was called and that a \u201cthorough inspection\u201d of the ride is due to take place before it goes back into operation.<\/p>\n The Iron Shark roller coaster reaches speeds of 52 miles per hour and glides along a 1,246-foot coaster track, per the Pleasure Pier<\/a> website.<\/p>\n PEOPLE reached out to Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations, which handles inquiries for Landry’s, Galveston Fire Department and HISD for confirmation and comment, but they did not immediately respond.<\/p>\n![\"Pleasure](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/cfa23f7b9f6209b27382f6f5e214d65a.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Alamy<\/p>\n