- Shocking images showed the Oceana Waterworld in Gothenburg engulfed in flames
- The brutal fire caused a mass evacuation of a hotel, offices and nearby homes.
A Swedish amusement park was engulfed in a terrifying inferno after a new water park attraction exploded this morning.
Shocking images showed the facility at Oceana Waterworld in Gothenburg in flames as flames tore through the structure, sending a huge plume of thick, toxic black smoke billowing into the sky behind snow-covered houses.
The brutal fire prompted a mass evacuation of the area and firefighters did not know how the fire was started, reporting that they could not control the flames.
The alarm was raised at 10.06am amid reports of a fire, according to an emergency services spokesman, but the flames spread out of control following an explosion moments later.
“We know that there are fires, among other things, on the water slides, but we don’t know how it started,” firefighter Björn van der Kaay told the Swedish press, adding that there is a serious risk of the fire spreading to properties. nearby.
A public health advisory was issued and residents living nearby were asked to immediately come inside and close all windows and doors in an attempt to escape the toxic fumes.
Emergency services continue to battle the fire which has reduced the water park to “nothing more than a skeleton”, a witness told Expressen.
There are reports that several people were injured, although no official statement has been issued.
A fire ripped through a multi-slide water park attraction at the Nordic region’s largest fun fair and a huge plume of black smoke hung over Gothenburg, Sweden’s second-largest city.
Explosion seen on water park slide behind snow-covered houses
Smoke and flames rise from a building after a fire broke out at Oceana Waterworld at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden, on February 12, 2024.
Clouds of smoke are seen over an Oceana Waterworld structure at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden, on February 12, 2024.
Smoke rises after a fire broke out at the new Oceana water world at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden.
“It is important that the public stay away from the site,” police spokesman August Brandt told Swedish media, adding that the Grand Hotel Curiosa in Liseberg, which is located next to the water park, was completely evacuated along with several blocks. of apartments and offices.
Barricades were also set up as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze.
One resident told Expressen: “First we saw smoke, then fire and then it exploded,” adding that there was a thick smell of “burning plastic” in the air.
‘We have watched the water slide take shape for several months. Now it seems that only a skeleton remains,” he stated.
Oceana Waterworld is a huge new edition of the Liseberg amusement park, which is the largest amusement fair in the country.
The facility, which cost 1.2 billion kroner (£91 million) to build, was due to open later this year and was expected to be a huge success for Liseberg, one of Gothenburg’s most popular tourist attractions.
The gigantic attraction spanned 6,000 square meters indoors and 4,000 square meters outdoors, and was designed to allow some 1,750 beachgoers to enjoy a state-of-the-art water park experience.
If completed, the park would have constituted one of the largest water attractions in Europe.
Liseberg CEO Andreas Andersen told local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten that the group has activated its “crisis management” procedure and called a board meeting following the devastation of its investment.