Fire Ball ride could return to Calgary Stampede after deadly Ohio accident

The North American Midway is confident the Fire Ball ride could be back at the Calgary Stampede as early as next year, after a tragedy in Ohio forced the operator to shut down all three of its rides until further notice.

A malfunction on the Fire Ball ride at the Ohio State Fair Wednesday was responsible for the death of one rider and injury of seven others.

Since then, North American Midway Entertainment has suspended the use of all three of its Fire Ball rides – one of which was being used at the K-Days fair in Edmonton. The other two are at fairs in the U.S.

“We’ve got to feel 100 per cent safe and confident,” North American Midway Entertainment VP of Fun Scooter Koren said Friday.

“We’re going to make sure it’s safe to carry passengers.”

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The Fire Ball ride involved in the incident in Ohio was not owned by North American Midway.

Korek said the company is waiting for the results of an inspection to determine what caused the malfunction at the Ohio fair before determining next steps, but he’s confident Calgary Stampede-goers will see the ride again.

“I’m going to suspect that we’re going to be able to return that ride at some point,” Korek said.

“There’s a very good chance that we could see that as the Calgary Stampede unfolds next year.”

Korek acknowledged people may be concerned about the safety of the ride should it return to the Stampede, but emphasized the fact that the entertainment company wouldn’t open a ride without making sure it’s safe.

“We take safety as our number 1 priority, unless we’re 100 per cent that this ride is ready to accept passengers, we’re not going to open it.”

Korek said the company will also consider the province of Alberta’s current ban on operating the ride in their decisions going forward.

READ MORE: Canada’s amusement parks: how ride safety stacks up

He added that when it comes to all rides owned by North American Midway, their industry professionals follow all inspection and repair guidelines to ensure their safety.