A major fire destroyed the main stage of Tomorrowland in Boom this evening. Emergency services rushed to the scene and tried to control the fire. The cause of the fire is still unclear, but the iconic main stage was completely destroyed.
The flames reportedly broke out around 6 p.m. during final preparations for the festival, which is scheduled to begin on Friday. Eyewitnesses describe a fierce fire that quickly spread. Large plumes of smoke are visible from the surrounding area. Video footage shows fireworks exploding amid the smoke, hampering firefighting efforts.
"The main stage was destroyed," says Debby Willemsen of the Tomorrowland organizers. "There are no casualties. Everyone is safe. The priority was to keep everyone safe; the rest of the festival will be held tomorrow."
"It will be without a main stage, but we're going to make it a great festival," say the Tomorrowland organizers. So the festival will go ahead, although they'll have to continue working hard on creative solutions.
The fire is a blow to the world-famous festival that attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all corners of the world to Boom every year.
Original post on Instagram from the organization:
"Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged.
We can confirm that no one was injured during the incident.
We can announce that, DreamVille (campsite) will open tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) as planned and will be ready for all DreamVille visitors.
All Global Journey activities in Brussels and Antwerp will take place as planned.
We are focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend (Friday – Saturday – Sunday).
More updates and detailed information will be communicated as soon as possible."
Also read:
Dutch
Een zware brand heeft vanavond het hoofdpodium van Tomorrowland in Boom in de as gelegd. De hulpdiensten kwamen massaal ter plaatse en probeerden het vuur onder controle te krijgen. Op dit moment is nog onduidelijk hoe het vuur is ontstaan, maar de iconische mainstage is volledig vernield.
De vlammen zouden rond 18 uur zijn uitgebroken tijdens de laatste voorbereidingen voor het festival, dat vrijdag van start moet gaan. Ooggetuigen spreken van een felle brand die snel om zich heen greep. Vanuit de omgeving zijn grote rookwolken zichtbaar. Op videobeelden is te zien hoe vuurwerk tussen de rook explodeert - wat het bluswerk bemoeilijkt.
"De main stage is vernietigd", vertelt Debby Willemsen van de organisatie van Tomorrowland. "Er zijn geen slachtoffers. Iedereen is veilig. De prioriteit was om iedereen veilig te stellen, de verdere verloop van het festival zal voor morgen zijn."
"Het zal zonder main stage zijn, maar we gaan er een mooi festival van maken", klinkt het bij de organisatie van Tomorrowland. Het festival gaat dus door, al zal er hard doorgewerkt moeten worden aan creatieve oplossingen.
De brand is een klap voor het wereldberoemde festival dat elk jaar tienduizenden bezoekers uit alle hoeken van de wereld naar Boom trekt.
Origineel bericht op Instagram van de organisatie:
"Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged.
We can confirm that no one was injured during the incident.
We can announce that, DreamVille (campsite) will open tomorrow (Thursday, July 17) as planned and will be ready for all DreamVille visitors.
All Global Journey activities in Brussels and Antwerp will take place as planned.
We are focused on finding solutions for the festival weekend (Friday – Saturday – Sunday).
More updates and detailed information will be communicated as soon as possible."
Lees ook:
