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07
Apr
Ripon Big Sky Wheel temporarily closed following fire
Ripon’s Big Sky Wheel temporarily closed today (April 7) after a generator fire.
The wheel, which opened to the public on Saturday (April 5), offers spectacular high-rise views of the city.
Ripon Business Improvement District, with support from North Yorkshire Council, brought the 33-metre high wheel to the city.
A social media post on the Visit Ripon Facebook page run by Ripon BID today said the wheel would be closed for the rest of the day due to a “technical issue" that arose this afternoon.
A North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson told the Stray Ferret:
A crew from Ripon attended reports of a fire to a generator. The fire had been extinguished using a bucket of water prior to the crews arrival. They carried out an inspection only.
The wheel continued to operate during the incident, which occurred at about 3.30pm, while everyone got off.
Ripon BID manager Lilla Bathurst told us that the fire was caused by a loose piece of insulation that entered the exhaust:
The insulation had caught fire, there was no problem with the generator.
We’re swapping the whole thing tonight regardless, to put people’s minds at ease.
Owner of the giant wheel, Walter Murphy, told the Stray Ferret:
A replacement generator will be installed this evening and the wheel will be back in action tomorrow.
The wheel is expected to reopen at 11am tomorrow. Ms Bathurst said it would not cost the council any more to replace the generator.
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