Broken Knott's Berry Farm Ride Strands 20 Riders 125 Feet in the Air for 5-Plus Hours

BUENA PARK, CA -- A broken down ride at Knott's Berry Farm stranded 20 riders and an operator 125 above the ground Friday for more than five hours, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

All riders were safely on the around just before 10 p.m.

An apparent malfunction caused the Sky Cabin ride to become stuck at around 2 p.m. and the Fire Authority were contacted at around 5 p.m., OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz.

The riders were safe in the enclosed cabin.

"We have firefighters in the cabin with the riders," Kurtz said. "They will be slowly lowered to the ground by a lifeline rope, which has the tensile strength of 900 pounds. It's very safe."

Stranded riders were finally hoisted down starting at around 7 p.m. Each were harnessed and strapped to a firefighter. Several of the stranded riders were children, but it was unclear how many and how old the children were. Officials at the park were unavailable for comments.

Park crews had tried to bring the ride down for several hours before contacting the OCFA, according to a Knott's Berry Farm statement. The park said guest safety is its main priority.

"Sky Cabin will remain closed until the park's investigation into the cause of the incident is completed," the park said in a statement posted to Twitter.

Photo courtesy of Knott's Berry Farm.