New water ride explodes in fireball as guests evacuated and smoke engulfs park
An unfinished new water ride at a theme park in Sweden has exploded in a fireball leading to a mass evacuation.
Dramatic footage shows the Oceana Waterworld attraction at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden, in flames with thick, black smoke rising into the sky. A witness said the blaze reduced the ride's structure into "nothing but a skeleton", with firefighters struggling to bring the flames under control. The cause of the blast is not yet confirmed.
The alarm was raised about the fire at around 10am local time - with the explosion understood to come seconds later. The fire service warned the flames could spread to nearby residences, according to local press. Firefighter Björn van der Kaay said: "We know that there are fires in water slides, among other things, but we don't know how it started."
Smoke and flames rise from a building after a fire broke out at the Oceana Waterworld (TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima)People living in neighbouring homes have been advised to close their windows to avoid inhaling toxic fumes, with nearby Liseberg's Grand Hotel Curiosa, as well as several apartment and office buildings evacuated. Witnesses described there being a "burnt plastic" smell. Police spokesperson August Brandt told Swedish media: "It is important that the public stays away from the site."
There are reports that several people were injured, with Sahlgrenska University Hospital confirming it had treated four people for minor injuries without providing more detail. One resident told Expressen: "First we saw smoke, then fire and then it exploded. We have seen how the water slide has been formed over several months. Now it only looks like there is a skeleton left."
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The cause of the explosion has not been confirmed (TT News Agency/AFP via Getty Ima)Rescue services spokesman Klas Lüppert told SVT: "There is a lot of plastic in the construction. So (the smoke) is not healthy to inhale. That's why we're going out with a public health warning." An employee of the site, who wished to remain anonymous, told SVT the explosion was so intense that it was felt in adjacent buildings.
"The windows started shaking. The parts from the slide could just as easily have flown towards us," they said. "We had to leave everything and run out," they added, with an immediate evacuation ordered.
Lisberg is Sweden's biggest funfair, with Oceana Waterworld a major new edition having cost some 1.2 billion kronor (£91 million). It was set to open later this year. It's spread over 6,000 square metres indoors and 4,000 outdoors. It is designed to allowed 1,750 bathers to enjoy a state-of-the-art waterpark experience.
Liseberg CEO Andreas Andersen told local paper Göteborgs-Posten the group has activated its "crisis management" procedure and called a meeting of the board in the wake of the fire.
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