More and more injured

Ferris wheel fire: videos show the fire drama

The area around the Ferris wheel was cleared immediately after the fire broke out.

(Bild: Screenshot/Telegram)

A Ferris wheel caught fire at the Highfield Festival near Leipzig on Saturday. Two gondolas were ablaze. On Sunday afternoon, the number of injured was significantly increased to at least 65. In the meantime, several eyewitness videos of the drama have emerged.

According to the police, 16 of the 65 people who needed medical attention were taken to hospital. Four people suffered burn injuries and one person fell. Four police officers are also said to be among the injured. Initially, there had been talk of 20 to 30 people injured.

Videos of the fire drama:

The cause of the fire is still unclear. Initially, one of the gondolas of the Ferris wheel caught fire at around 9 pm. The fire then spread to the second gondola. Both were completely destroyed by the fire.

The area around the Ferris wheel was evacuated immediately after the fire broke out.

(Bild: Screenshot/Telegram)

"Then there was dead silence"
Several festival visitors posted videos of the fire drama on social media. Guido from Cologne reported that the Ferris wheel suddenly sped up. The burning gondolas were then at the very top. "Then there was dead silence," said the 58-year-old.

Rapper on stage: "I am shocked"
When the first flames became visible, rapper Ski Aggu (26) was on stage. A short time later, he wrote in his Instagram story: "I'm absolutely shocked and upset about the Ferris wheel fire during my show at Highfield. I was just told on my ear that I shouldn't stop the show under any circumstances, but should first stay in dialog with you so that there is no mass panic."

"Thank you for staying so calm"
The priority was to prevent the situation from escalating any further. Fortunately, that worked. "Thank you all for remaining so calm and possibly preventing something worse." Above all, the work of the emergency services, who reacted quickly, was crucial. "Thank you for your service! I wish all those affected that you get better soon," wrote the rapper from Berlin, whose real name is August Jean Diederich and whose trademark is a pair of ski goggles.

People were then gradually removed from the Ferris wheel, according to those present. The two affected gondolas were completely burnt out, according to a dpa reporter at the scene. A fire department spokesman told the dpa around 30 minutes after the fire broke out that the situation was now under control.

30,000 visitors
The festival at Lake Störmthal in the German state of Saxony, a major rock and pop event with around 30,000 visitors, was then interrupted after all. About an hour after the fire broke out, an announcement was made on stage at around 10 p.m. to the visitors that those affected were fine - and that the festival would continue with a performance by Cro. And at around 11 pm, the program actually continued.