Over 22,000 fans were evacuated from the Tomorrowland music festival in Barcelona on Saturday after an unspecified “technical malfunction” caused the stage to burst into a towering inferno straight out of hell. According to German broadcaster Deutsche Welle, local authorities suspect a malfunctioning pyrotechnics display was to blame for the massive blaze, which started on the stage’s rigging.
“Thanks to the professional intervention of the authorities all 22.000 visitors were evacuated safely and without reports of injuries,” the organizers of the festival said in a statement. “Authorities will follow up and continue the investigation with the local Spanish organizer of UNITE.”
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Some 20 people were treated for “minor injuries or anxiety,” according to the Associated Press. The stage at the venue was more or less completely destroyed and is at risk of collapsing.
It’s great news no one was seriously hurt, considering the long and sordid history of concert disasters, but this is another reminder pyrotechnics can be very dangerous.
