‘Massive fire’ breaks out at Germany’s largest theme park after ‘two or three loud bangs’, causing visitors to evacuate
- A huge plume of black smoke has been seen at Europa-Park in Germany
- Witnesses at the park said there had been an ‘explosion with loud bangs’
A massive fire has broken out at Germany’s largest theme park, Europa-Park, prompting an evacuation of visitors, it has been reported.
Video footage showed a huge plume of black smoke billowing from the theme park as shocked visitors watched the flames from afar.
People were seen leaving the park, often referred to as the ‘Disneyland of Germany’, while others filmed the smoldering, with witnesses claiming there had been an explosion.
The police confirmed this to the German newspaper Image that the massive fire broke out around 4:40 p.m. local time, prompting the evacuation of 25,000 people.
“It banged loudly two or three times. Then there was a huge fire,” said an eyewitness. The man claimed the fire broke out on the Atlantica Supersplash course.
A huge fire has broken out in Europa-Park in Rust, southern Germany
Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the theme park as hundreds were evacuated
A man claimed the fire broke out on the Atlantica Supersplash course
Local reports have said that the cloud of smoke had spread over the Austrian-themed part of the park, with the Diamond Cave being the hardest hit.
The fire is still being fought by a number of fire brigades and is now under control. The exact cause remains unclear.
Three firefighters were taken to 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 next to the building.
“Hopefully all families and children are safe.”
A second person, who shared a video of the chaos, said: “Several explosions. Let’s pray there are no injuries.’
Video footage from park visitors shows huge black clouds of smoke rising from the park
Witnesses on social media described the chaos in the park, calling it ‘frightening’
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 seems the fire is already under control. It was really impressive and frightening.’
Many are baffled about the cause of the fire. Another person asked, “What exactly is burning?”
Europa-Park is a huge theme park with over 100 different amusements in the town of Rust in Baden-Württemberg.
The amusement park first opened in 1975, with several additions added and improved over time.
Tickets cost 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 broken out at the amusement park. In a previous fire in 2018, witnesses reported flames that were 15 meters high.
A Europa-Park spokesperson said on Twitter: “An incident has occurred at Europa-Park.
“We are working closely with the responsible authorities and emergency services. An update will follow as soon as new information becomes available.’