A huge fire broke out at Swedish amusement park Liseberg in Gothenburg on Monday (12 February), resulting in “total destruction of the building”, the park said in a statement.
The blaze engulfed the new venue’s outdoor water slides and other facilities under construction, eyewitnesses and rescue services said.
One person contracted by Liseberg is still missing, and police have filed a missing person’s report, Liseberg confirmed.
“A total of sixteen individuals have sought medical care for minor injuries, all have left the hospital,” the park added.
The fire started on the outside of the southern part of the building and quickly spread to areas of the water park’s pool hall.
Liseberg recently started to fill the pools in its new Oceana Water World, which was scheduled to open this summer.
“We are deeply saddened by the devastating event. Our primary task now is to assist the police in the search for the missing person and to support everyone affected,” said Liseberg’s CEO Andreas Andersen.
Yesterday, Liseberg’s main focus was to prevent any additional injuries and stop the fire from spreading to adjacent buildings.
Man missing and 16 injured
The Liseberg Grand Curiosa Hotel and the park’s nearby office buildings have been evacuated. All guests scheduled to check in at the hotel have been cancelled at the time of writing. Also, Liseberg’s arcade hall and restaurants will remain closed today (13 February).
Liseberg broke ground on its Oceana water park in 2020. Oceana covers an area of around 13,600 square metres, including 4,000 square metres of outdoor space and 6,000 square metres of indoor pools.
Oceana was set to house 14 aquatic attractions, including four large tube slides. It was also to feature a large water playground, a wave pool, a lazy river, an adventure pool for kids, a restaurant, and a café.
Liseberg is holding a press conference today. Rescue services and police are participating.
