More than 30 people were injured when two gondolas of a Ferris wheel caught fire on Saturday night (August 17th) at the Highfield Festival in Leipzig, Germany, German news agency Deutsche Welle reports. While most injuries were mild cases of smoke inhalation, four people suffered burns and one was injured in a fall. Police said the cause of the fire was initially unclear.
“Those affected are receiving treatment and are doing well considering the circumstances,” Highfield Festival organizers said in a statement. “We are in close coordination with the fire, police and rescue and medical services. We will shut down the Ferris wheel accordingly and then continue work as planned.”
The fire broke out in a Ferris wheel gondola car and spread to a neighboring one around 9pm local time during German rapper Ski Aggu's set. “Absolutely shocked and upset about the ferris wheel fire during my show at Highfield,” Agu posted on Instagram afterwards. “I was only told through my earpiece that I should not stop the show under any circumstances, but I should continue to talk to you first, so avoid mass panic. The priority was to prevent the situation from escalating further. Fortunately, that worked.”
Highfield Festival is one of Germany's biggest music festivals, with around 30,000 attendees. This year's lineup included headliners Rise Against (whose set was delayed due to the tire fire), Macklemore and Peter Fox, with other performers including Flogging Molly, Less Than Jake, the Kooks, Mando Daio, Marsimoto, Cro and more.
