Fire in the Hole is an enclosed steel roller coaster located at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. The five story steel roller coaster was built in collaboration with Rocky Mountain Construction and the park. The ride is a hybrid between a dark ride and a roller coaster, including various scenes depicting the story of the mining town of Marmaros. The overall ride experience includes a powered incline and gravity descent, including three drops including a splash landing. This version of the ride is based on the now defunct Fire in the Hole (1972), featuring a similar ride layout and storyline along with updated special effects and state-of-the-art onboard audio. The ride opened on March 30, 2024, and is located within the Fire District section of the park.
Ride experience and theme
Fire in the Hole is themed around the story of Marmaros, an Ozarks town. Marmaros was built next to the on site Marvel Cave, and the town is where Silver Dollar City is located today. The town gained a decent population because of the availability of guano in the Marvel Cave. The town thrived off the profitability of the cave until the town was rumored to be burnt to the ground by the vigilante group, the Baldknobbers. The true nature of this legend is unknown, with several people blaming a drunken fight and others blaming xenophobic outrage towards the purchase of Marvel Cave by William H. Lynch, a Canadian Businessman. There is evidence that the town did burn, but the true reason and story will likely never be known.[1][2]
Fire in the Hole portrays this legend, much like the original 1972 attraction, although with certain key narrative differences to further immerse riders in the narrative. Riders enter the ride building under the premise that the local "Pumper Factory" is revealing all-new pumper wagons (firefighting vehicles) for the local firefighters. Upon entry, it is revealed to guests that the town has been set ablaze by the vigilante group, the Baldknobbers, and guests must board trains themed to the all new pumper wagons to help put out the fire. When the trains are dispatched, riders are sent through several show scenes depicting the chaos of the burning mining town. Riders pass through scenes depicting the citizens attempting to put out the fire while a trio of Baldknobbers named Patches, Bugs, and Wiley cause chaos. Firefighters are depicted attempting to put out the fire before the trains cross a burning bridge that appears to collapse. After this first drop, guests are almost run over by a steam train, which is the second drop of the ride. Then, just before the iconic final splashdown, the riders blast the water tower, saving the town.[3][4]
Announcement
On February 13, 2023, to the disappointment of many fans of the original ride, it was announced that the now defunct Fire in the Hole ride would be closing on December 30, 2023.[5] This began speculation on what would be replacing the iconic attraction, and rumors grew with the construction of a new ride building behind what was previously known as Fireman's Landing area of the park (now known as the Fire District). On August 14, 2023, Silver Dollar City announced that a new version Fire in the Hole constructed in partnership with Rocky Mountain Construction would open in the spring of 2024. Brad Thomas, President of the Silver Dollar City Company, proclaimed that the new ride would not only preserve the history of Silver Dollar city but would also be the anchor attraction of the newly renamed Fire District. The ride is currently Silver Dollar City's biggest investment in a single attraction to date, costing $30 million to build.[6] On March 1, 2024, it was announced that the ride would open on March 30, 2024.[7]
References
^Payton, Crystal (1997-01-07). The Story of Silver Dollar City. Silver Dollar City Inc. ISBN978-0965998307.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
^Fire in the Hole Operating Procedures. Information and Facts. 2008.
