At around 9 p.m., one of the Ferris wheel’s 24 gondolas caught fire. The fire then spread to a second gondola. Investigators are still trying to determine exactly what happened in those minutes. According to police, around 25 people were injured – four of them suffered burns and one sustained injuries from a fall. The other injured people, including first responders and at least four police officers, were examined in hospital for possible smoke poisoning.
The police were unable to provide any information on the age and gender of the injured. The exact number of injured people has not yet been determined, the spokeswoman said.
The two gondolas that caught fire were destroyed by the fire. It remains unclear how many people were riding the Ferris wheel at the time of the fire. The gondolas are usually occupied by a maximum of four people.
Artists dismayed
“I am absolutely appalled by the Ferris wheel fire during my show at Highfield,” wrote rapper Ski Aggu on Instagram. He was told over headphones that he should not cancel his performance at the festival under any circumstances to avoid mass panic. “Thank you all for staying so calm and preventing anything worse from happening,” he wrote to his fans. He wished everyone affected a speedy recovery.
Festival continues after two-hour interruption
The rock and pop festival at Störmthaler Lake, attended by around 30,000 guests, was interrupted for around two hours. The show then continued with a performance by rapper Cro.
