Ferris Wheel (Photo: Pixabay, Free Public Use)

LEIPZIG, DE (CelebrityAccess) – At least 23 people were injured when two gondolas on a Ferris wheel caught fire during the Highfield Music Festival at Lake Strömthal, near Leipzig, on Saturday (August 17th), according to the German news agency dpa.

Local police reported that the fire began in one of the Ferris wheel’s gondolas and quickly spread to a second. The Ferris wheel operator confirmed that no passengers were inside the gondola where the fire initially broke out.

A statement from Saxony police detailed that 65 people received medical care on-site, with 16 of them transported to hospitals. Among those hospitalized, four sustained burn injuries, and one person was hurt in a fall. Fortunately, none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

Police have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire. In an update posted to social media on Sunday (August 18th), they stated, “After the fire, investigators were deployed, and an initial assessment was made. By means unknown, the material underneath the Ferris wheel caught fire. As a result, the fire spread to a gondola. The investigation is still ongoing.”

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCam5OawLR6wqikaGpgZ4FwfJdoaHJno5rDpr7ApWSippqqv6awjJqrZqCZnLWntcSlm2alpai2pHnFnqqtoaaWuW6w1J5kraddm7KzvsisZLCglZq5brLIq5xo