Seven people were rescued by Kirkland, Missouri, firefighters Friday night after they became stranded on a carnival ride that left some suspended 40 feet in the air.
In a Facebook bulletin, Kirkland Fire and Rescue (KFR) said firefighters received a report of the incident shortly before 10:00 p.m. and subsequently responded to the scene in the downtown district of Kirkland, a St.Louis suburb. KSDK reported that a ride malfunctioned, leaving three carnival-goers suspended “40 feet in the air” while the other four individuals were closer to the ground.
Using “ropes, technical systems, and an aerial ladder to remove people from the ride safely,” all seven people were safely extricated from the ride within 30 minutes, KTVI reported.
KFR noted that no one was injured in the incident. It was unclear what caused the attraction’s “malfunction,” according to KSDK.
“My daughter and her boyfriend were 2 of the 7 trapped. I cannot thank you enough for getting them down safely. You are awesome,” one Facebook user commented on KFR’s post.
The carnival was in town for a two-day annual church fundraiser put together by St. Peter Catholic Church, and officials from the church said this was the first-ever incident of this nature with a carnival ride.
“St. Louis County came out on Friday and inspected all the rides,” Kevin Stillman, a church director, told the outlet. “They gave clearance, and we felt that we did our due diligence. These things do occur, but the thing I get back to is no one got hurt.”
American Banner Amusements operated the attraction, which was no longer in service at the fundraiser following Friday’s incident, according to KTVI.
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