A reported fire may be behind one of Universal Orlando Resort’s ongoing attraction closures.
Guests visiting Islands of Adventure have been unable to ride Skull Island: Reign of Kong for weeks, with Universal yet to announce when the attraction will reopen.
The King Kong ride sits between Toon Lagoon and Jurassic Park and has operated since July 2016. Unlike nearby thrill rides such as Jurassic World VelociCoaster, Reign of Kong uses large expedition vehicles to carry guests through physical sets and screen-based encounters before reaching its signature animatronic finale.
That final scene is now at the center of a new report about the prolonged shutdown.
Weeks-Long Closure Linked to Reported Fire
An unverified report shared in a Universal Orlando Facebook group claims the giant King Kong animatronic caught fire while undergoing repairs.
According to the post, the alleged incident damaged the figure and has contributed to Skull Island: Reign of Kong remaining unavailable to guests.
Another claim subsequently appeared on Reddit, where a commenter also stated that the Kong animatronic had caught fire.
Neither account provided photographs, documentation, or an identifiable source confirming the incident.
Universal Orlando Resort has not announced that a fire occurred and has not publicly detailed the reason for the attraction’s extended closure.
It has also not announced a reopening date.
The attraction currently remains closed in the Universal Orlando app, although Skull Island: Reign of Kong is still treated as an active attraction elsewhere in Universal’s materials.
If the fire report is accurate, the size of Kong could make repairs complicated.
The animatronic is one of the largest figures at Universal Orlando. Universal previously described it as nearly three stories tall and approximately 18 feet wide across the shoulders, with a head larger than a car.
Guests encounter the figure at extremely close range during the ride’s final moments.
The rest of Reign of Kong is also built on a large scale. Its expedition vehicles are approximately 40 feet long and weigh around 17 tons, traveling through an outdoor section before entering the attraction’s enormous show building.
A fire involving Kong would not be the first time Universal has lost one of its famous ape figures this way.
In June 2008, a major fire on the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot destroyed the original King Kong Encounter used on the Studio Tour.
The 30-foot animatronic had been part of the tour since 1986.
Universal ultimately replaced it with King Kong 360 3-D, which opened in 2010 using large screens rather than another comparable physical Kong figure. The Hollywood experience dropped its 3D element earlier this year.
Kong Was Already Having a Difficult Year
The latest closure comes after months of reliability problems for Skull Island: Reign of Kong – the attraction closed 87 times in January alone.
Further operational issues followed in February, making downtime an increasingly common problem for guests attempting to experience the ride.
Kong also draws significantly shorter waits than Islands of Adventure’s headline attractions.
Queue Times data puts Skull Island: Reign of Kong’s average posted wait for 2026 at approximately 25 minutes.
Jurassic World VelociCoaster has averaged around 56 minutes over the same period, while Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure has averaged roughly 107 minutes.
That does not necessarily make Kong a candidate for removal. Theme parks rely on attractions with different capacities and levels of demand, particularly when their most popular rides can generate waits exceeding an hour.
Still, the latest shutdown comes at an awkward time.
Skull Island: Reign of Kong occupies a sizable section of Islands of Adventure, complete with extensive rockwork, a dedicated queue, an outdoor ride path, and a large indoor show building.
King Kong has a much longer history at Universal Orlando.
Kongfrontation was one of Universal Studios Florida’s original attractions when the park opened in 1990. Guests traveled through a Kong-ravaged New York before coming face-to-face with the giant ape.
That ride closed in September 2002, with its building later becoming home to Revenge of the Mummy.
Kong remained absent from Universal Orlando for more than a decade before Skull Island: Reign of Kong was announced in 2015.
Would you miss Skull Island: Reign of Kong if it closed?
