Over 22,000 people were evacuated from an electronic music festival in Barcelona Saturday night after a fire broke out and engulfed the stage.
The Associated Press reports that more than 20 people were injured as the mass evacuation took place, and firefighters said they were investigating the cause. Twelve firefighting units were needed to extinguish the flames before midnight.
The “Tomorrowland” electronic music festival was being held at Barcelona’s Parc de Can Zam in Santa Colomba de Gramenet. This was the first time the festival had been held in Spain.
The “Tomorrowland” festival takes place in several locations at the same time, with the main stage being in Belgium. The festival launched in 2005, and has since grown rapidly in popularity. In 2013, CNN reports that tickets for the event sold out in just one second.
According to the Associated Press, the fire began during a fireworks sequence of the show, though the exact cause of the malfunction is not known.
Tomorrowland representatives published a statement on the event’s website saying that “the UNITE Barcelona stage caught on fire due to a technical malfunction.”
CNN reported that fire officials had successfully put out the fire, though officials warned that the stage is still not structurally sound and remains at risk for collapsing.
Footage circulated on social media that showed the aggressive flames enveloping the stage and exuding large plumes of black smoke as the crowd looked on.
— With files from the Associated Press.
Comments