‘Huge fire’ breaks out at Germany’s largest theme park after ‘two or three strong explosions’, prompting evacuation of visitors
- A huge black smoke mushroom was seen in Europa-Park in Germany
- Witnesses in the park said there was an ‘explosion’ with loud bangs’
A major fire has been reported at Germany’s largest theme park, Europa-Park, prompting the evacuation of visitors.
Video footage showed a huge mushroom of black smoke billowing from inside the amusement park, as shocked visitors watched the flames from afar.
People were seen leaving the park, often dubbed ‘Germany’s Disney land’, while others were filming the smoldering fire, with witnesses claiming there had been an explosion.
Police confirmed to the German newspaper Bild that the massive fire broke out around 4:40 p.m. local time, prompting the evacuation of 25,000 people.
‘He hit hard two or three times. After that, a big fire could be seen,” a witness said. The man claimed that the fire had occurred at the Atlantica Supersplash track.
A huge fire has broken out in Europa-Park in Rust, southern Germany
Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the amusement park as hundreds evacuated
A man claimed the fire had started on the Atlantica Supersplash track
Local reports have said that the smoke cloud had spread over the Austria-themed section of the park, with the Diamond Cave being the worst affected.
The fire is still being fought by various fire brigades and is now said to be under control. The exact cause remains unclear.
Three firefighters were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
Another person who had been to the park wrote on Twitter: “Sad: fire at Europa Park in the Spanish area, luckily we saw it just in time to leave the restaurant adjacent to the building.”
“I hope all the families and children are safe.”
A second person, who shared a video of the chaos, said: ‘Several explosions. We pray that there are no injuries.
Video footage from park goers shows the huge black clouds of smoke billowing out of the park.
Witnesses on social media described the chaos in the park as “terrifying.”
While a third person wrote: ‘The diamond cave in Europa-Park is on fire. For now, we don’t know if anyone was injured, but it appears that the fire is now under control. It was really impressive and scary.
Many are puzzled as to what caused the fire. Another person asked: ‘What exactly is burning?’
Europa-Park is a huge theme park containing more than 100 different amusements, in the city of Rust in Baden-Württemberg.
The amusement park first opened in 1975, with different additions being added and improved over time.
Tickets are between £40 and £300 and are located close to the border of France and Switzerland.
It is not the first time that a fire has occurred in the amusement park. A previous fire in 2018 saw witnesses report flames reaching 15 meters in height.
On Twitter, a Europa-Park spokesperson said: ‘An incident has occurred at Europa-Park.
“We work closely with the responsible authorities and emergency services. An update will follow as new information becomes available.’
I am Rakesh Sharma, I associated with Elite News as an Editor, since 2021. I take care of all the news operations like content, budget, hiring and policy making.