A Christmas tree in the lobby of the Grand Californian Hotel caught fire around 3 a.m. PDT Wednesday morning. The fire prompted the evacuation of 2,300 guests to the hotel’s convention center. Two people sustained minor injuries.

A spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department said that the fire was caused by the electrical lights on the 35-foot-tall tree. She said the hotel sustained moderate damage from water and smoke, but not enough to prevent guests from returning to their rooms within a few hours. Disney said it would conduct an investigation. (more…)

North America’s amusement parks reported their second attendance increase in a row for 2005 in a publication released by Amusement Business. An estimated 176 million headed to North America’s parks this year, up 4.2 percent from 2004. Worldwide, attendance increased 2.2 percent to 253 million visitors. (more…)

The Stratosphere hotel and casino in Las Vegas is removing the highest roller coaster in the world, High Roller.

High Roller, which opened nearly a decade ago with the Stratosphere Tower, sits 909 feet above the city.

A spokesman for the tower said High Roller has had more than 4 million riders, and has a perfect safety record.

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Starting Dec. 25 Walt Disney World will begin a weekly podcast titled "Walt Disney World Resort: Plugged In". The free audio program will give listeners behind-the-scenes tours of the Florida parks, information on upcoming events, and conversations with the Imagineers who design the parks and attractions. (more…)

Tampa, Fla. - Twenty-four Santa Clauses
try not to toss their cookies and milk on SheiKra – America’s only dive coaster
– at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay.

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JACKSON, N.J. – The construction team at Six Flags Great Adventure today reached an important milestone in the erection of El Toro, an enormous, new wooden roller coaster set to debut this spring at the world’s largest regional theme park.  After placing the top portion of the 188-foot-tall wooden track support slowly and carefully into position, El Toro now ranks as the second tallest wooden coaster in America, and the third tallest in the world.

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One Disneyland employee was sent to the hospital and eight others were evaluated after mixed chemicals created smoke in a maintenance area, officials said.

A mixture of resin with a catalyst produced smoke, and one employee with a history of asthma was taken to a hospital. Firefighters and a hazmat team responded to a maintenance shop for fibreglass vehicles about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, said an official with the Anaheim Fire Department.

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Three Disneyland employees were taken to a hospital after one mixed chemicals to create a harmful chemical.

The accident ocurred about 5:30 a.m. Friday when one employee tried to chlorinate a water system near Flix Fanfare, a spokeswoman for the Anaheim Fire Department said.

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