Watch: A stage at Tomorrowland’s Barcelona edition erupted in flames
Thousands had to be evacuated from the venue.
One of the world’s most popular festivals had to deal with an unexpected problem when the speaker system on the stage caught fire. Thousands of terrified fans were rushed to safety from the Tomorrowland Unite Spain festival on July 29.
The inferno sent smoke everywhere and caused widespread panic. No one was hurt but emergency services had to help some spectators and treat them for anxiety attacks. The high-profile event had a bevy of stars scheduled to perform including Steve Aoki.
According to a post on the Tomorrowland website, the incident was triggered by a technical malfunction. “Thanks to the professional intervention of the authorities all 22.000 visitors were evacuated safely and without reports of injuries. Authorities will follow up and continue the investigation with the local Spanish organiser of UNITE,” it said.
Arde #TomorrowlandBarcelona : pic.twitter.com/cIauUi0AtC
— Diego López (@diegonoxvo) July 29, 2017
TOMORROWLAND BARCELONA ON FIRE 🔥, literally. Disaster.
— GARABATTO 🇪🇸 (@GARABATTOmusic) July 29, 2017
Via: @AyerdiX pic.twitter.com/3YzFIqPu6C
#tomorrowland barcelona was fire 🔥😮 pic.twitter.com/LVCEBA7AvD
— Alex Prim López (@ALEXPRIMLOPEZ7) July 29, 2017
The roof! The roof! The roof is on fire! ...No seriously. Give usted our money back... #Tomorrowland #TomorrowlandBarcelona pic.twitter.com/EaMeYkxymB
— JavierSantosPaniego (@JPaniego) July 29, 2017
how started the fire 🔥🔥🔥#TomorrowlandBarcelona #tomorrowland https://t.co/OcbVi0zLVO pic.twitter.com/SabsNwlmnX
— Nabil El Quaissi (@nabilelquaissi) July 29, 2017
The festival takes place in several locations at once, and the main stage is based in Belgium. Its first event was held in 2005 and in 2013, and tickets were apparently sold out in just one second.