1Haunted Castle, Jackson Township, New Jersey, USA
On May 11, 1984, in Six Flags Great Adventure Park in New Jersey, this walkthrough attraction was the scene of another terrible loss. The Haunted Castle attraction was pretty commonplace. People take a short albeit twisting walk through a darkened enclosure where workers, dressed in costumes, attempt to scare them.
On this date, as park guests wandered through the attraction, the place somehow caught fire. The blaze spread quickly. The fire was not dealt with immediately because the attraction had no smoke detectors or sprinklers. Most of the attraction’s visitors made it to the nearest exits and safety by their mouths to escape the smoke. A few suffered from smoke inhalation. Eight teenagers, however, were not so lucky and died in the fire. Their bodies were burnt well beyond recognition.
They had to be identified by their dental records. In the wake of this incredible tragedy, the amusement park fell under heavy scrutiny. The park was brought under legal action because the attraction lacked the basic safety precautions.
Six Flags was unsurprisingly sued. Six Flags managed to escape the legal action because the Haunted House was designated a temporary structure and because the fire was probably an act of arson rather than negligence or a technical mishap.
