Watch: Massive fire engulfs Tomorrowland main stage in Belgium days before opening; rescue ops under way

Visuals of fire at Tomorrowland main stage

A significant fire on Wednesday (native time) has severely broken the main stage of world well-known Tomorrowland competition in Belgium. This comes simply days before its official opening on Friday.In a press release issued Wednesday night, competition organizers confirmed the incident, “Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged.” They confirmed that no accidents had been reported.The fire broke out on Wednesday afternoon, sending thick plumes of black smoke into the sky. Videos circulating on-line confirmed fireworks erupting as flames engulfed the construction.Belgium’s public broadcaster VRT reported that the main stage was nearly utterly destroyed. Emergency providers responded swiftly, however the fire was not instantly introduced under management.

At the time of the fire, no festival-goers had been on the location, however roughly 1,000 workers members had been current. All have since been safely evacuated.Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen mentioned the destruction was heartbreaking for employees who spent years designing and developing the stage.Despite the incident, the competition isn’t being canceled. Organizers confirmed that “DreamVille,” the occasion’s main campsite, will open on Thursday as deliberate. “Tomorrow we’re expecting 38,000 festival-goers at DreamVille. We’re really looking forward to it,” Wilmsen mentioned.Wilmsen confirmed that though the main stage is not going to be prepared in time, the group is engaged on various plans. “We’re going to make it a great festival. It will be without a main stage. But hopefully, we can do something else, but I can’t say much about that yet,” she added.Local residents described the second the fire broke out. Morgan Hermans, who lives close to the location mentioned that she initially heard fireworks after which noticed thick smoke. “There was just a big cloud of fireworks and smoke very near us, so that was a bit scary,” she mentioned.“It’s one of the biggest events of the year. Our town is very small, so to welcome people from all over the world is a big deal. Everyone in Boom was a bit terrified for a few seconds,” she added, as reported by CNN.Local police have urged folks to keep away from the realm to permit emergency crews to work. The reason for the fire stays unknown right now.