Knott’s Ice Show Attraction Closed by Early-Morning Fire

BUENA PARK — An electrical malfunction early Sunday inside a prop used in Snoopy’s ice show at Knott’s Berry Farm caused $25,000 in damage and prompted the closing of the popular attraction, but the park opened on schedule.

The Chevrolet/Geo Good Times Theatre, a 2,100-seat auditorium, was closed after a fire at 7:45 a.m. was ignited by a 12-volt battery near some wooden props, a Buena Park Fire Department spokesman said.

The prop was the four-foot-tall letter A that was part of the USA sign in a patriotic finale in the “Diamonds on Ice” show, said Bob Ochsner, a spokesman for Knott’s.

In the show, Snoopy skates on the ice and rolls out the USA sign, which lights up. At night, workers recharge the lighting system for each letter, Ochsner said.

“There was faulty wiring in the A,” Ochsner said Sunday. “It really was more of a smoke [problem] than a fire problem. Although firefighters were able to extinguish the problem within five minutes, we did have smoke damage to the building.”

Sprinklers were activated backstage after the malfunction caused heavy smoke to circulate inside the building, the Fire Department spokesman said.

Ochsner said the fire was the first in the history of the Good Times Theatre. The theater was first opened in 1976 when it was known as the John Wayne Theatre, he said.

Knott’s officials plan to reopen the theater today for its three daily ice shows, Ochsner said.

The morning fire was reported by workers. The theater was unoccupied at the time.