A massive fire has destroyed the central stage of Tomorrowland, the famous electronic music festival held in Boom, Belgium. The fire broke out Wednesday, only two days before the festival was supposed to start. It left the landmark piece of architecture virtually unscathed. Emergency services acted quickly to contain the fire, which they say is still out of control.
There were roughly 1,000 employees on the festival grounds at the time of the collapse. Fortunately, there were no personnel injuries or festival-goers on site when the fire occurred. Thick smoky plumes filled the sky, causing fear among local residents. Survivors described hearing what they thought were fireworks at the time. This noise caused panic and alarm, leading people to question the source of this smoke.
The damage from the fire has already touched thousands of lives, as festival organizers admitted at the outset saying,
“It’s one of the biggest events in the entire year. Our town is very small so to welcome people (from) around the entire world, it’s crazy and it’s so much fun. It’s a big deal so everyone in Boom was a bit terrified for a few seconds.”
They confirmed that there were no injuries resulting from the incident:
“Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged.”
Even with all that destruction, organizers are focusing on positive next steps as they move toward the third festival. They have indicated their commitment to ensuring that Tomorrowland proceeds as planned over the weekend:
“We can confirm that no one was injured during the incident.”
Tomorrowland, once again, became one of the most talked about events of the year in Belgium. It consistently draws attendees from nearly every continent on the planet! And the festival, too, seems to explode with vivid art and colorful music and flashy stage production. This tragedy continues to have a deep effect on residents and tourists as well.
“We are focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend.”
Emergency crews are continuing to fight the flames and survey the damage. At the same time, it’s left community members jittery as to what this could mean for the festival. Over the past week, that uncertainty has settled over what is otherwise one of the most exciting music and culture celebrations on the planet.
As emergency crews continue to battle the flames and assess the damage, community members remain anxious about the implications for the festival. The unexpected fire has cast a shadow over what is typically a highly anticipated celebration of music and culture.
