Fire destroys main stage of Tomorrowland festival days before opening
A huge fire engulfed the main stage of Belgium's Tomorrowland two days before the electronic music festival was due to open.
Video footage shared on social media shows flames tearing across the stage as plumes of thick black smoke rise into the air, while fireworks can also be seen and heard going off in the distance.
It is unclear how the fire started at the festival site, in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, where an estimated 200,000 people were due to gather this weekend.
No festival-goers were on site at the time of the fire, but about 1,000 staff members were present and have now been evacuated, Belgian broadcaster VRT reported.
'Due to a serious incident and fire on the Tomorrowland Mainstage, our beloved Mainstage has been severely damaged,' festival organisers said in a statement on Wednesday, confirming that no one was injured. The cause of the fire has not been confirmed. / Credit: EBU
The festival, whose big names on this weekend's line-up include David Guetta, Swedish House Mafia, Charlotte de Witte and Amelie Lens, is expected to go ahead without the main stage, although it is unclear how acts will be rescheduled.
Tomorrowland spokesperson Debby Wilmsen said a lot of workers were devastated to see the main stage destroyed, given that it took years to build, 'with so much love and passion.'
'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.
Organisers said they 'spent the night working on possible solutions for the mainstage area' and that its 'Dreamville' campsite welcomed festivalgoers on Thursday morning.
Morgan Hermans, who lives near the festival site, told CNN that she initially heard fireworks going off, which prompted her to look outside.
'There was just a big cloud of fireworks and smoke very near us, so that was a bit scary,' she said.
'It's one of the biggest events in the entire year. Our town is very small so to welcome people (from) around the entire world, it's crazy and it's so much fun.
'It's a big deal so everyone in Boom was a bit terrified for a few seconds.'
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