Europa-Park, Germany’s largest theme park, is to reopen today (20 June) after a fire broke out in a control room for an attraction yesterday (19 June).
The park was evacuated at a time when around 25,000 people were visiting, with approximately 450 firefighters, police and emergency personnel on the scene, as reported by the German news agency dpa.
No visitors were harmed, and two firefighters were lightly injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation and the area around the scene will remain closed while the rest of the park is reopened, according to officials.
Around 25,000 guests evacuated
An eyewitness told German publication Bild, “It banged loudly two or three times. After that, a huge fire could be seen.” Videos posted by guests showed huge clouds of black smoke.
On its UK Twitter account, Europa-Park wrote: “Dear visitors and fans of Europa-Park, an incident has occurred at Europa-Park. We are working closely with the relevant authorities and emergency services.
“Europa-Park will be open to visitors tomorrow!”
In 2018, a fire broke out in a storage facility at Europa-Park. It spread to the Pirates in Batavia boat ride, completely destroying the 30-year-old attraction. Again, around 25,000 guests were safely evacuated.
Pirates in Batavia reopened in the Dutch-themed area of Europa-Park in 2020 following 24 months of construction.
Europa-Park was founded in 1975 by Roland Mack and his father Franz. The family-owned park and the €180 million Rulantica water park offer more than 100 attractions in themed lands representing different European nations and stories.
In May, Europa-Park installed the final piece of track for its 14th coaster. The park also reported record attendance for the 2022 season.
“We see this record as a huge vote of confidence from our visitors, and one that comes in a difficult year in which war, supply problems, inflation and the energy crisis have been making things difficult for all of us,” said Mack.
