Around 30 injured in Ferris wheel fire at Germany’s Highfield Festival

Dozens of people have been injured following a Ferris wheel fire at Germany’s Highfield Festival over the weekend.

According to Sky News, around 30 people were injured in the incident, which broke out at around 9:PM on Saturday, August 17.

Videos show two gondolas near the top of the Ferris wheel ablaze, while smoke billows across the festival site. The cause of the fire is currently unknown.

The festival was taking place by Stormthaler Lake near Leipzig, Germany, from August 16 - 18. Sky News reported that 18 people were still being treated at hospital in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Of those injured, one sustained injuries from a fall, and four were injured by the fire itself. Four police officers also reportedly suffered injuries.

In a statement posted on Instagram yesterday (August 18), Highfield Festival thanked rescue workers and attendees for their “great support during yesterday's fire on the two Ferris wheel gondolas and afterwards”.

“You behaved in an exemplary manner and enabled us and all rescue workers to bring the situation under control as quickly as possible,” they explained.

The festival confirmed that its final day would go ahead as planned, with a safe space available for attendees to visit if “in need of a place to retreat”.

“16 people are currently in the nearby hospitals and are receiving appropriate medical care there. We wish you a speedy recovery and all the best,” they said.

Rapper Ski Aggu, who was performing when the incident occurred, said on Instagram that he was “absolutely dismayed and shocked by the Ferris wheel fire”, and was told that he should not cancel his show in case of “creating mass panic”.

“For me, the priority was that the situation did not escalate further, which fortunately also worked,” he said. ‘Thank you for staying so calm and possibly preventing worse.”

[Via Sky News]

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Assistant Editor, follow her on Twitter