Fire Rages Near Disney World

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that Disney isn’t tucked away from the rest of reality. When you’re eating a DOLE Whip, watching a parade, and riding on the Walt Disney World Railroad, it can feel like the “real world” has just completely disappeared.

Our happy place!

But, it’s important to remember that Disney World isn’t in a magical bubble, and “real” things can impact it. We’ve seen this with COVID-19, hurricanes, and now — a fire.

Fox 35 Orlando reported that a large fire broke out at a plant nursery in Osceola County, Florida, where hundreds of plastic planters were ablaze. Officials said that nearly two acres were burning initially. That later spread to 5 acres.

And while the fire itself was not located in Disney, smoke could be seen from nearly 13 miles away, right over Disney World. (Again, though part of Disney World is technically located within Osceola County, the fire is located around 13 miles away from the parks.)

Smoke can be seen at Disney from Osceola nursery fire. @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/LC84xCL0XR

— Ryan Elijah (@ryanelijah) February 16, 2023

The exact cause of the fire is unknown. But according to Deputy Chief Jon Haskett with Osceola County Fire, it is likely that there was a propane tank explosion within the fire area. Luckily, there are no reported injuries and there are not yet any evacuation orders in place.

As of the latest update from the Orlando Sentinel, firefighters had been working to put the fire out but that was expected to take several hours.

©Fox35 News Orlando

We hope that everyone close to the fire remains safe. Fire officials are continuing to monitor the air quality due to the smoke coming from the burning plastic. A WESH 2 News update (from around 9:30AM) shared that crews were on the scene and HAZMAT crews are monitoring the air to determine if there is any danger to local residents.

You can see some video footage of the situation from a few hours ago shared via KOMO News.

HAPPENING NOW: We continue to track this massive fire in Kissimmee, Florida this morning.

As @hollymenino explains, it's apparently burning at a nursery – sending a huge plume of smoke into the air. https://t.co/xMWqojyeXI pic.twitter.com/x7vHCc1hhn

— Steve McCarron KOMO (@SteveTVNews) February 16, 2023

So if you do happen to go to the parks today and see some smoke up in the sky, know that this is likely the cause. Stay tuned for more updates on things that could affect your trip. And click the link below to read our full guide on what to expect if another event — a hurricane — impacts Disney World.

Be prepared! Click here for hurricane info.

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Did you see any of the smoke this morning? Let us know in the comments.