Freak fire damages century-old Dragon Coaster in NY park where ‘Big’ was filmed

A historic roller coaster at a nearly century-old Westchester County amusement park was damaged after flames erupted from an electrical fire over the weekend, officials said.

A portion of the Dragon Coaster at Rye Playland, one of the oldest wooden coasters in the country, burst into flames around 8:50 p.m. Saturday at the waterfront, county-owned park, which was already closed for the season.

People wait in line to ride the Dragon Coaster at Playland amusement park in Rye, NY, Friday, June 6, 2014. AP

“We know how much the Dragon Coaster means to generations of Playland enthusiasts,” Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said in a statement.

“We appreciate the concern we have heard from so many Dragon Coaster fans,” Jenkins said. “We are grateful to the Rye Fire Department for their quick respond and for extinguishing the fire.”

No one was injured in the fire, which caused minimal damage, authorities said.

Playland’s maintenance team plans to work on repairing the ride during the off-season fall months.

Opened 97 years ago, the coaster has been the main attraction at the county-run suburban park, which was featured in the Tom Hanks flick “Big” and Mariah Carey’s 1995 music video for “Fantasy.”

The coaster was renovated over the winter, with locals briefly losing their minds when parts of the old dragon were spotted in a garbage dumpster near the park — with a spruced-up ride opening months later.

The historic coaster was damaged by an electrical fire over the weekend.

Playland itself had been the subject of a financial dispute between Westchester County officials and private operators, which shut down the iconic ride and other parts of the iconic park last year.

The county had to award a rush $1.7 million emergency contract in May 2025 to ensure the park would be partially open after private operator Standard Amusement pulled out of its management contract.

Standard Amusement maintained it pumped more than $35 million into the park since it inked a deal with Westchester officials in 2021 to take over amusement park operations — but both sides squabbled with the other over whether they lived up to their contract agreement.

The aftermath saw the Dragon Coaster closed for the entire 2025 season, only the second year in its history it was shuttered after the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Officials said the blaze was an electrical fire, but the exact cause is under investigation.

“Rest assured: this Dragon will rise again for Playland’s 99th season,” Jenkins said.