ELMHURST — An electric animal ride in the Queens Center Mall is closed until further notice after one of the animals caught fire Sunday, officials said.
A motorized plush wolf caught fire at around 3 p.m., officials and witnesses said.
No one was injured during the fire but the kiosk, which leases space from the mall, will remain closed during an investigation, according to the mall's marketing manager, John Scaturro.
"The fire was put out immediately" by a worker, he said. It's the first time he has heard of one of the animals catching fire, he said.
On Monday, a menagerie of "rides" — from a puppy to a zebra to a giraffe — were stacked high inside a corral. A sign left on a nearby podium said they were closed and asked mall-goers not to touch the animals.
Farjana Boby, who works at Feah Brows Beauty just steps from the electric farm, said it wasn't the first time an animal caught fire.
She didn't see Sunday's incident but has seen it happen once before a few months ago.
"There was just a little bit of fire," she said, noting that an employee used a fire extinguisher to put it out.
Beyond the flames, the rides are "risky" for kids, she said — especially when they veer away from the paw-printed "track" on the ground-floor of the mall.
"Sometimes kids ride all around the mall," she said. "It's a bit risky for the kids."
The owner of the kiosk could not be reached for comment.
