BETHEL – Firefighters attempting to locate a blaze at Big Adventure Center encountered a nightmarish scene when they got lost in a laser tag maze Wednesday.
There were no injuries and the fire was doused by a sprinkler system, but getting to the blaze in the three-story Laser Tag Arena was an adventure in itself.
“Everything is spray-painted black, and this place is meant to be a maze that you get lost in. Four of us came in together, and it took us 10 to 15 minutes to find it,” said Assistant Chief Mike Jodrey.
Not only did they have to contend with scores of corridors, angled floors and dead-ends, but permeating white smoke from smoke machines and acrid, thick, black smoke from the fire within the maze also created zero visibility.
“We went around and around and around, and up and down, and up and down. There was a lot of cursing. It tends to piss you off when you come to a dead end or run into a screen, and have to go back and retrace your steps in the dark,” Jodrey said.
Loud sound effects, fake giant cobwebs and black lights added to firefighters’ problems in the converted former chicken barn.
“It was totally dark when we came in, so it was hard to look for fire-blackened walls when the walls were already painted black,” Jodrey said.
A ceiling sprinkler system was credited by firefighters with preventing major damage at Big Adventure Center on North Road in Bethel.
“The sprinkler system saved the place,” said Bethel Chief Jim Young.
Jodrey said the fire was caused by a smoke-making machine that overheated and caught fire.
The fire spread to plywood walls and flooring.
“The sprinklers had already gone off and extinguished the fire, but the building was still thick with smoke from the fire,” Jodrey said.
Big Adventure manager Eric List said that staff and four guests were inside the large recreational facility, but not inside the arena when the fire started.
At about 6:25 p.m., List said that the sprinklers and fire alarm system went off, alerting them to the fire.
“We ran up here (into the maze) and it was full of smoke, so we called 911 and returned with a fire extinguisher. Flames were just pouring out of the underside” of a section of corridor, List said.
Firefighters eventually tore out the smoking, charred sections of plywood and 2-by-4 planking, carried them outside and piled them into a snowbank. Heavy snow falling from Wednesday night’s storm created walking hazards on linoleum floors inside and outside on the icy parking lot.
Without fully scrutinizing the maze for water damage, List said damage estimates so far were $1,000 from the destroyed smoke machine and $1,200 for a 55-gallon drum of “what we call fog juice,'” that was beside the machine.
“The place is full of large truck tires and plastic, so if those had caught fire, we would have had a real problem,” he said.
List said that despite the fire, the amusement facility and Laser Tag Arena would be ready by the weekend and open for business.
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