BUENA PARK — Nearly 8 hours after they became stranded 125 feet up, 21 people on the disabled Sky Cabin at Knott’s Berry Farm were lowered one by one to safety Friday night by firefighters.

At 7:25 p.m., the first passenger harnessed to a Orange County Fire Authority firefighter made it to the base of the ride that became stuck around 2 p.m.

There were 20 passengers and one operator aboard the slow-moving Sky Cabin. The riders, both children and adults, were harnessed to firefighters and hugging them tightly as they were lowered one by one. One girl who appeared to be about 10 years old could be seen smiling as she descended, her turquoise Converse sneakers dangling high above the crowd of onlookers.

As of 9:54 p.m., all of them had been brought back to the ground, Knott’s Berry Farm said in a tweet.

OCFA firefighters were called to the park around 5 p.m. after attempts by Knott’s workers to get the ride moving again. The ride ascends to more than 180 feet, according to Knott’s, and OCFA officials said the ride was stopped 125 feet up.

“After the Knott’s Berry Farm maintenance team made several attempts to bring the attraction down, we contacted the Orange County Fire Authority,” according to a Knott’s statement. “As always, the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority.”

Knott’s officials didn’t immediately return phone calls to explain why they waited nearly three hours to notify OCFA.

The ride carries passengers upward in a rotating room that provides panoramic views of Orange County.

OCFA Capt. Larry Kurtz said no one on board was injured.

“We’re visiting from Oregon,” rider Gabe Javage told KNBC-TV via cellphone. “There’s nine in our group. My son and his cousin are down below. They elected not to go on the ride. Good choice for them, huh?”

All three of Eddie Kim’s daughters were stuck on the ride while he waited below for them to be rescued.

He told KTTV-TV that all three were fine, but “my little girl, 8-year-old girl, she came down, and she’s crying.”

There was no word on what caused the ride breakdown. Knott’s said the Sky Cabin would be closed until an investigation into the cause was complete and that “each of Knott’s rides is inspected, check-listed and properly maintained daily.”

Sky Cabin was closed in May 2010 and was idle for 18 months before reopening after a remodel.

On June 22, 2008, the ride got stuck as it began to ascend. Within an hour, firefighters used an aerial ladder to escort 23 guests and a ride operator safely to the ground.

In the weeks that followed, the ride continued to get stuck in safety tests. Technicians eventually found a problem with an electrical relay that was causing the ride to lose power as it climbed the tower.

Originally opened in 1976, the oversized mechanical doughnut ascends about 300 feet into the air and spins slowly.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7865 or afausto@scng.com