Stranded riders rescued on Six Flags' SkyScreamer

Four people who spent hours stranded high atop a ride at Six Flags St. Louis were brought safely to the ground Thursday night, in a dramatic "high angle rescue" that firefighters raced to finish before storms moved in.

Two adults and two children were stuck near the top of the SkyScreamer, which is a swing-style tower ride that peaks at 236 feet. It stopped with them roughly 130 feet in the air, just after 5:30 p.m.

Fire crews from across the St. Louis region converged on the park, with the Eureka Fire Protection District leading the effort. Rescuers ultimately brought the guests down using a crane that Six Flags keeps on site. With a lightning storm bearing down, crews refused to bank on the crane alone and were also preparing ropes.

"We used Plan A, which was the crane, and we had Plan B already rigged up top, and we were working on a Plan C, because we wanted to make sure they were down before this weather hit," Eureka Fire Chief Scott Barthelmass told KMOX.

Storms were expected within about a half-hour of the 8 p.m. rescue. Everyone was on the ground before a drop fell.

While firefighters worked below, the stranded family had company near the top. Six Flags St. Louis spokeswoman Elizabeth Gotway told KMOX that one of the park's own maintenance workers made the climb to stay with them.

"One of our maintenance team members had actually climbed up to the top and was there with them, talking to them, letting them know what was going on, what was going to happen next, that the fire department had been called," Gotway said. "And so he stayed up there the whole time."

When the two children were brought down first, Gotway said, the same worker climbed down and went straight to check on them -- because he'd promised their mother he would. She described the family, who were visiting St. Louis on vacation, as calm and gracious throughout.

Gotway said Six Flags crews usually handle a stalled ride on their own, with ways to reset it or lower it by hand. Thursday, those weren't immediately working -- and with the storm coming, the park didn't keep trying.

"They could've worked at it a little longer, but we knew we had the storm coming in," Gotway said. "We just didn't want to get so close that we weren't giving first responders time, if we needed them. So we just made that call tonight that we needed to bring them in."

Chief Barthelmass said the operation showcased the value of the region's mutual aid system, with rescue strike teams from multiple departments that train together for rare emergencies. "You don't see a high-angle, you don't see a tower rescue very often anywhere in the county," he said, adding that crews had recently rehearsed this very scenario. "We actually practiced this rescue not too long ago, with personnel actually lowering people down with ropes and everything."

Gotway said the park's preparation starts even earlier: "All of our rides, when we build them, when we put them in, there's always a fail-safe plan on all of them. What if they stop and we have to get people off? That is there before you ever open a new ride."

She said firefighters have trained on the park's rides for decades, including using Thunder River to prepare for emergencies on Missouri's waterways. But she couldn't recall another real-life rescue like this ever having to be carried out at the park.

Chief Barthelmass called Six Flags a "safe, well-run park" that cooperates closely with first responders. Gotway said the firefighters were "flawless," adding, "it was amazing to watch them do their jobs."

Our original story:

Fire crews from across the St. Louis area are working to rescue four people stranded high in the air on a ride at Six Flags St. Louis on Thursday evening.

Two adults and two children are suspended roughly 120 feet up on the park's SkyScreamer ride in what crews are calling a "high-angle rescue." SkyScreamer reaches 236 feet at its full height.

The situation began just after 5:30 p.m. Rope-rescue team members from departments around the region are on scene setting up to bring the riders safely to the ground, with the Eureka Fire Protection District serving as the primary agency.

"We're going for the kids first," a first responder was heard declaring over their radios.

Crews are working against the clock, hoping to complete the rescue before potential storms move into the area.

Departments responding include Metro West, Florissant Valley, Kirkwood, Maplewood, West County, Mehlville, Monarch, and Eureka.

The park sent this statement to KMOX:

"The Sky Screamer ride stopped mid-cycle, approx. 120' in the air with four guests on board. We were unable to lower the swings manually, so, per safety protocol, the Fire Department was notified and called in to unload guests off the ride. We have a park representative currently up with the guests; we are doing all we can to keep them comfortable during this process to get them safely unloaded."