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Fire breaks out on Ferris wheel; at least 23 hurt

By FOX TV Digital Team
Published  August 18, 2024 9:36am EDT
Crime and Public Safety
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Ferris wheel catches fire at festival; 23 hurt

The gondolas caught fire at a music festival near Leipzig in eastern Germany.

The Brief

    • A fire broke out on a Ferris wheel gondola at a German music festival.
    • The fire spread to a second gondola and injured 23 people, including first responders and at least four police officers.
    • One person was injured from a fall off the Ferris wheel, officials said.

Nearly two dozen people were injured at a music festival in Germany Saturday night when a fire broke out on a Ferris wheel gondola.

According to the Associated Press, four people were being treated for burn injuries and one person was injured when they fell from the Ferris wheel. Others, including first responders and at least four police officers, were to be examined in the hospital for possible smoke inhalation.

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It happened at the Highfield Festival at Stoermthaler Lake near Leipzig in eastern Germany. Police are still investigating the cause. It started on one gondola, then spread to a second gondola. 

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Video from the scene showed festival-goers standing in shock and horror as the fire grew and the Ferris wheel kept turning. 

Thick smoke is seen coming from a Ferris wheel that caught fire at a German music festival (Florian Paul Sander via Storyful)

The operator of the Ferris Wheel said no one was sitting in the gondola when the first fire started. 

The Source

  • This story was reported with information from The Associated Press.