SDCFans.com - The Unofficial SDC Fansite

Fire-In-The-Hole Turns 35

Byshavethewhales

This is quite long in coming, and by now most of you have heard, but I believe it's still worth mentioning: this year is Fire-In-The-Hole's 35th birthday.

Yes, just 35 years ago FiTH opened as the Herschend's first roller coaster, and now look at them: their arsenal has sprouted from FiTH to include such giants as the B&M Mega-looper Wildfire, the $17 Million Mystery Mine, 2 outstanding wooden coasters that rank no less than #20 in the top wooden roller coaster polls, and many more. SDC itself has grown to house 5 roller coasters total, one of them being the before mentioned steel giant, Wildfire, and rumors tell of another member coming to the family shortly. Indeed, FiTH was the spark that started the burning sensation of the Herschend's emphasis on rides. If FiTH hadn't been so much of a success, SDC very well may have stayed a local frontiers-town attraction rather than the regional theme park giant it is today.

Indeed, FiTH has seen the history of the Herschend chain unfold, but the ride itself has a long history of its own. The ride we so enjoy today actually differs somewhat from the original, and I'm not just talking about thematics.
As stated by resident SDC historian Copper
: “An interesting fact to Fire in the Hole is a section of the ride has been removed. After the first dip (Collapsing Bridge) the ride would turn right and later reconnect in front of the second dip. (Train Collision) If you look close at the scene where the cabin is burning there is a moon and some stars above one of the old track areas. Also when you see the sign “Kinney Bridge” on your left is a large open area where scenes once existed.”
Thematics have changed as well, with things like the bridge collapse mechanism being taken out and different baldknobber characters being switched out. Luckily though, the scene with the man climbing out of his house with his wife screaming at him to put some pants on will live on forever.

There was, quite unfortunately, one very dark moment in FiTH's history, and it is easily the darkest moment in the history of the entire chain. On July 9, 1980 a rider was killed on FiTH when the train he was in was mistakenly thought to be empty and was sent into the maintainence area of the ride. Unfortunately, the maintainence bay door had a very low clearance back then, and the rider's head was caught between the door and the train. This was an excruciating blow to the park, and steps were taken in all directions to ensure that something so horrible could ever possibly occur again. That death was the only death I know of in the entire history of the Herschend Chain, and since then no deaths or even major injuries to speak of have occurred. The Herschend corporation remains probably the safest-run park chains in the world, and their standards for protecting their patrons are nothing but excellent. FiTH, by the way, was modified after this accident, so this, or any other accident can not happen again.

35 years later, FiTH remains one of the top favorited rides at SDC. It has served as a stepping-block to bigger rides both for myself and thousands of other patrons. Many younger children too small or too scared for SDC's new thrill machines still hold to FiTH dearly, as it provides just the right amount of thrills with an excellent portion of fun to keep everyone happy. I don't think I've ever heard a lame review of FiTH yet.

Here's to another 35 years of success!

Comments

Post a Comment:

Please sign in to leave a comment.