Canada’s Wonderland hit with string of unfortunate events over busy long weekend

Blogto.com
August 3, 2022

While attractions like Canada's Wonderland are always busy throughout the summer months, the past few days proved to be particularly bustling and eventful at the park -- though unfortunately not in a good way.

Between the Toronto Caribbean Carnival, VELD, OVO Fest and more, it was absolutely bumping in and around the city this weekend, and the beautiful summer weather and extra day off made it the perfect time to hit up places like Canada's largest theme park.

But, events on Sunday and Monday made for a less--than--fun time for guests and staff.

First, there was a huge, unexplained fire at the 20--acre water park, Splash Works, on the night of July 31, which led to a full evacuation of Canada's Wonderland grounds just after people had finished watching a special fireworks show at the park for the civic holiday.

While York Regional Police called the incident a "small structure fire," videos and photos show some pretty dramatic flames and smoke overtaking the area around 11 p.m., completely melting multiple waterslides and leading to an investigation by the Office of the Fire Marshal.

It is still unknown if the pyrotechnics show and the blaze were connected, and the water park remains shuttered while the rest of Wonderland is open. Luckily, it was already closed for the night at the time of the fire, so there were no injuries, though the park will definitely need some substantial repairs.

The next night didn't bring any better luck for Wonderland either, with over a dozen people discovering their car tires were slashed open in the parking lot while they were enjoying a day of rides, food and games.

The deliberate, random act happened to 18 cars around 6:30 p.m. on August 1, and one man was eventually arrested in connection -- justice that didn't really help those who had to put on a spare, call for assistance or find another way home at the time.

It's also certainly not the type of thing people are expecting when they pay $25--$35 for parking alone (and that's if you buy online in advance), and up to $75 for admission.

This isn't the first time this season that Wonderland has been in the news for some sort of snafu ---- people have gotten stuck on rides and reported safety mechanisms unlocked on their own during the first full summer back since the pandemic.