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Ferris Wheel Fire Injures 30 At Germany’s Highfield Festival

A Ferris wheel at Germany’s Highfield Festival caught fire on Saturday, injuring at least 30 people.

The incident at the three-day camping festival near Leipzig occurred at around 9PM during a performance from German rapper Ski Aggu. The fire, which broke out in an empty gondola, soon spread to a neighboring gondola. 

Most injuries were mild cases of smoke inhalation; however, four people suffered burns, and one suffered injuries from a fall, German news outlet Deutsche Welle reports. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and 18 people are currently being treated in the hospital, according to Sky News.

In a statement posted to Instagram yesterday, Highfield Festival organizers thanked guests for their “great support” during the fire.

“You behaved in an exemplary manner and enabled us and all rescue workers to get the situation under control as quickly as possible. Our special thanks go to you and the first responders and rescue workers on site,” organizers wrote.

In a statement posted to Instagram stories, Ski Aggu said the festival advised him to continue his performance to mitigate panic among the crowd.

“I am absolutely dismayed and shocked by the Ferris wheel fire during my show at Highfield,” he wrote. “I was only told in my ear that I should not cancel the show under any circumstances but should first remain in dialogue with you so that there is no mass panic.”

“For me, the priority was that the situation did not escalate further, which fortunately also worked,” he continued. “Thank you for staying so calm and possibly preventing worse. The decisive factor for this was above all the work of the rescue workers, who reacted so quickly and thus prevented the situation from worsening.”

Highfield Festival, which is one of Germany’s largest festivals and attracts close to 30,000 people, continued on Sunday with adjusted performance schedules and a dedicated safe space in the aftermath of the incident. The Ferris wheel was closed. Artists like Macklemore, Rise Against, Flogging Molly, and The Kooks performed this year.

Watch video footage of the incident below.

Featured image from Highfield Festival. Credit: Anna Wyszomierska.

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