Blaze that destroyed Tomorrowland 2025 main stage caused by ethanol leak, sources claim
Investigations into the dramatic blaze, which destroyed the Orbyz Mainstage just 48 hours before gates were due to open last year, are ongoing
The blaze that destroyed Tomorrowland's main stage just days before its 2025 edition was caused by an ethanol leak, sources have told Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN).
On July 16, 2025, a fire tore through the Orbyz Mainstage at Tomorrowland's site in Boom, Belgium, just 48 hours before the festival was due to begin. No one was injured despite the presence of over 1,000 workers on the site at the time of the fire.
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In the subsequent two days, Tomorrowland's organisers rushed to find an alternative to its main stage, which had been "completely destroyed" in the fire. The festival opened as planned and began programming a day later on its new stage, an LED screen repurposed from Metallica's European tour.
While investigations are ongoing, a source has revealed to HLN that an ethanol leak during its testing was likely the source of the blaze.
"During the testing or installation of those fire bowls, ethanol (which is highly flammable, ed.) must have been accidentally sprayed on to a part of the set," the anonymous source told HLN.
"The camera footage shows a large part of the stage immediately catching fire," they continue. "That can only happen if there is already something flammable on that set. Ethanol may have been sprayed on it during the testing of those fire bowls. Otherwise, the stage would not have fully caught fire as quickly."
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In a statement provided to EDM.com, Tomorrowland's spokesperson Debby Wilmsen acknowledged the reports, insisting: "Of course, we never want to experience anything like this again, but the risk analysis also confirmed that our safety procedures were already very well organised."
"It is impossible to eliminate every risk entirely," Wilmsen adds. "Weather conditions and human behaviour are factors that no one can fully control. That is why we prepare as thoroughly as possible for every conceivable scenario, with the aim of minimising risks and organising the safest festival possible.”
[Via: Het Laatste Nieuws]
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