The Highfield Festival in Leipzig with acts such as Cro, Peter Fox and Macklemore is overshadowed by an incident with several injuries.
On Saturday evening (17 August) at around 9 p.m., a serious fire broke out at the Highfield Festival on Störmthal Lake near Leipzig. Pictures and videos show two gondolas of the Ferris wheel on site ablaze. According to police, around 25 people were injured, including smoke inhalation and burns.
Cause of fire still unclear
It is still unclear why the fire broke out in the ride. According to media reports, the flames were initially seen in one gondola and then spread to another. The affected cabins burned out completely, the people from the Ferris wheel, which was full at the time, were evacuated and the injured people were taken to hospital.
The festival continued on Saturday evening after the fire, with the performance of main act Cro (34) being moved to another stage. The music festival will continue as planned on Sunday (August 18) with shows by Nico Santos, Bosse, Mando Diao and Macklemore, among others.
Ski Aggu is “absolutely dismayed”
The fire in the Ferris wheel broke out during the performance of rapper Ski Aggu (26). The musician spoke out that night: He was “absolutely dismayed and shocked by the Ferris wheel fire”. He had been instructed not to cancel his show and to remain in dialogue with the visitors in order to prevent mass panic. “For me, the priority was that the situation did not escalate any further, which fortunately worked,” he added, thanking his fans and the rescue workers for their behavior.
The Highfield Festival is Central Germany’s largest music festival and has been taking place at Störmthaler Lake since 2010. This year, 54 indie and hip-hop acts will perform on three stages from August 16 to 18. A total of around 30,000 visitors are expected over the three days.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
