On Saturday night, a fire broke out on a Ferris wheel at Highfield Festival in Leipzig, Germany, injuring over 30 people.
Most of the injuries were from smoke inhalation, but four individuals got burns and one person fell. The police haven’t figured out what caused the fire yet.
The festival organizers said, “Those affected are receiving treatment and are doing well considering the circumstances. We are in close coordination with the fire brigade, the police, and the rescue and medical services. We will cordon off the ferris wheel accordingly and then continue operations as planned.”
Around 9 p.m., during Ski Aggu’s performance, one gondola caught fire and it spread to another. “I’m absolutely shocked and upset about the Ferris wheel fire during my show at Highfield,” Aggu shared on Instagram later. He explained he was told to keep talking to avoid panic: “The priority was to prevent the situation from escalating any further. Fortunately, that worked.”
Highfield Festival is huge in Germany with about 30,000 music fans attending each year. This year’s main acts included Rise Against (whose set got delayed because of the Ferris wheel incident), Macklemore, and Peter Fox along with other bands like Flogging Molly and Less Than Jake.
We hope everyone stays safe at such big events!
