Eureka Fire crews raced to rescue four people stuck on the Six Flags St. Louis Sky Screamer before high winds, rain and lightning swept the area Thursday evening, June 11.
Chief Scott Barthelmess said the family of four, including two adults and two teenagers, was stuck on the ride for nearly three hours and was rescued with a crane about 20 minutes before a strong storm hit Eureka.
None of the riders required medical attention, Barthelmass said.
The 235-foot Sky Screamer ride malfunctioned at about 5:30 p.m. on June 11, with the four riders on board the swing ride. Eureka Fire was called to the scene at 6:24 p.m., after efforts made by Six Flags mechanics to fix the ride failed.
Barthelmass said a crew of specialists representing numerous area firefighting agencies was called in to perform the rescue, using a crane provided by a local company.
The riders were stuck about 120 feet in the air at the time of the rescue, said Six Flags spokeswoman Elizabeth Gotway.
“We were unable to lower the swings manually, so, per safety protocol, the fire department was notified and called in to unload guests off the ride,” she said. “A park representative stayed up with the guests during the process and first responders were able to get them safely unloaded.”
Gotway said the ride will remain closed today, June 12, for a full assessment and inspection.
“Six Flags had a ride malfunction, and 99 percent of the time they are able to resolve that on their own, but they were unable to last night,” Barthelmass said. “There is a high-angle tower rescue package, a grouping, that’s sent up to dispatch people who are trained on it. That group was dispatched because of the specialty equipment needs and the like.”
Eureka Fire crews set up a secondary rope-rigging system in case the crane rescue failed or could not reach the family, Barthelmass said.
Two Eureka firefighter/paramedics went up in the crane, securing and bringing down the two teens first, and then bringing the parents down.
“Time was of the essence. We completed the rescue at about 8:24 p.m. and the storm came in right after at about 8:50 or 9 p.m.,” he said.
The Metro-West, West County, Monarch, Mehlville, Maplewood and Florissant Valley fire protection districts and the Maplewood and Kirkwood fire departments assisted on the call. Barthelmass commended the area’s mutual aid system and Six Flags for quick action on the rescue and emergency preparedness.
“This was one of the most dramatic, high-angle tower rescues performed in the St. Louis area in a while,” he said.