Terrifying moment new water attraction EXPLODES into fireball at Swedish amusement park
- Shocking footage showed Oceana Waterworld in Gothenburg going up in flames
- The brutal fire led to a mass evacuation of a nearby hotel, offices and homes
A Swedish theme park was engulfed in a terrifying inferno after a new water park attraction exploded this morning.
Shocking footage showed the installation at Oceana Waterworld in Gothenburg engulfed in flames as the flames tore through the structure, sending a huge plume of thick, toxic black smoke into the air behind the snow-covered houses.
The brutal blaze led to a mass evacuation of the area, with firefighters unsure of how the blaze started and reporting they were unable to control the flames.
According to an emergency services spokesperson, the alarm was raised at 10.06am amid reports of a fire, but the flames spread out of control after an explosion moments later.
“We know, among other things, that there are fires in water slides, but we don't know how they started,” firefighter Björn van der Kaay told the Swedish press, adding that there was a serious risk that the fire would spread to nearby properties .
A public health alert was issued and local residents were told to immediately go indoors and close all windows and doors to escape the toxic fumes.
Emergency services continue to battle the blaze that has reduced the water park to “nothing but a skeleton,” a witness told Expressen.
There are reports that several people have been injured, although no official statement has been issued.
A fire ripped through a water park attraction with several slides at the Scandinavian region's largest funfair, sending a huge plume of black smoke wafting over Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city
An explosion can be seen behind snow-covered houses near the water park's slide
Smoke and flames rise from a building after a fire broke out at Oceana Waterworld in Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden on February 12, 2024
Clouds of smoke are seen near an Oceana Waterworld structure at the Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden on February 12, 2024
Smoke rises after fire breaks out in the new Oceana water world at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg, Sweden
“It is important that the public stays away from the site,” police spokesman August Brandt told Swedish media, adding that Liseberg's Grand Hotel Curiosa, which is adjacent to the water park, was completely evacuated next to several apartment and office buildings.
Roadblocks were also put in place as firefighters tried to control the blaze.
A resident told Expressen: “First we saw smoke, then fire and then it exploded,” adding that there was a thick smell of “burnt plastic” in the air.
“We have been watching the waterslide form over several months. Now it just looks like there's a skeleton left,” she said.
Oceana Waterworld is a huge new edition of the Liseberg amusement park, the largest fair in the country.
The facility, which cost around 1.2 billion kroner (£91 million) to build, was due to open later this year and was expected to be a big hit for Liseberg – one of Gothenburg's most popular tourist attractions.
The massive attraction was spread over 6,000 square meters indoors and 4,000 square meters outdoors, and was designed to allow around 1,750 swimmers to enjoy a state-of-the-art water park experience.
If completed, the park would have been one of the largest water park attractions in Europe.
Liseberg CEO Andreas Andersen told local newspaper Göteborgs-Posten that the group has activated its 'crisis management' procedure and convened a board meeting following the destruction of their investment.