Amy Love

Opinions Editor

aml7458@psu.edu

On January 11, there was a fire that became uncontrolled at the local amusement park, Exposition Park, that was nearby at Conneaut Lake. There were no injuries in this fire, however, the rollercoaster, Blue Streak, was severely damaged. 

The Blue Streak was built in 1937, and has been operating on and off again since it was built. The coaster has not been in operation since last year when an evaluation of the structure was required, according to officials. 

It was reported from WICU-TV that a burn that was being controlled near the carousel got out of hand, leading to the fire spreading to structures that were close by. The Blue Streak happened to be one of those nearby structures. 

The Summit Township Volunteer Fire Department was aware of the small, controlled fire that was permitted to happen. 

According to Fire Chief Dan O’Meara, who is in charge of this department, “The fire was started due to a controlled burn of old wood…being performed by park staff.” It was then that “while the burn of one pile was taking place, the wind shifted and also caught an adjacent pile on fire without initially being noticed by workers. It was from the second pile that flames were able to reach the Blue Streak.” 

O’Meara also stated that “it only took around half an hour for the fire to be brought under control.” However, by that time, parts of the track were consumed by flames. By the time the situation was back under control, there were several areas of collapsed tracks. 

However, later news has been reporting that the roller-coaster was not destroyed by the fire. A post to the Facebook page of New Conneaut Lake Park said the following: “Damage to the Blue Streak was NOT caused by the fire. It was from the heavy equipment demolishing it as per permit this morning.” 

The post went on later to say that a “burn permit was also issued to have small controlled fires to burn wood as demolition continued.” There was a “mechanical issue,” leading to the fire to spread. 

The wooden roller-coaster, which was considered by some residents of Conneaut Lake as a childhood memory, left some individuals upset about what happened to it. 

One resident, Ed Fabin, who spoke to the news station abc127, said the following: “I think it’s terrible. I think it was an American treasure. It’s sad but it is a park so what are you going to do.” 

In June 2010, the roller-coaster was considered a American Coaster Enthusiast Landmark by the organization called American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE). The organization has previously expressed concern over the future of this roller-coaster. 

This is a title only given to those amusement park rides that are considered to be of historical significance, which some residents of the area would agree upon. 

The Blue Streak was also the seventeenth-oldest roller coaster in the United States, and was one of only two shallow coasters designed by Ed Vettel that remained. 

The fire that happened in this amusement park has been very troubling to some, and has taken away a ride that many recognized as part of their childhood. There has been no information regarding the plans of the amusement park, or why the ride was being demolished.