Photo: Jose Manuel Costa
A massive fire struck the Adanças Dance Festival in Portugal on its opening day.
The fire broke out near the area where visitors were allowed to park their cars, and the flames quickly spread because of dried vegetation and the high temperatures in the sunny venue. Even with a rapid intervention of Portuguese firefighters, 422 cars were destroyed, and another nine were significantly damaged.
According to witness reports, it took an hour for firefighters to extinguish the flames, which were fed by the fuel, tires, and other combustible materials that make up cars. The Portugal News reports that the 4,000 festival-goers were advised to leave the premises as soon as the fire was observed, as a precautionary measure.
Fortunately for those attending the event, nobody was injured. Considering that the blaze spread to such a degree that led to the destruction of 422 vehicles, the organizers can be proud of their work on evacuating all the people that went to the venue.
Evidently, things might not have gone as well if this event was held entirely indoors and vehicles outside had broken out in flames, but we prefer to focus on the positive side of the news as often as we can.
The festival was supposed to last for six days and was scheduled to be spread over an area of 48 hectares (118,56 acres), the equivalent of 57 soccer pitches or about 48 rugby fields made to international specifications. Organizers were expecting about 40,000 visitors by Sunday, the last day of the event.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by local and government authorities. Considering high temperatures in the summer and vast fields with dry vegetation, a stray cigarette bud could have been enough to start a fire like this.
If you find yourself at an event like this, never throw a lit cigarette or a match on the ground, as it may cause a fire such as this one, with serious consequences.
According to witness reports, it took an hour for firefighters to extinguish the flames, which were fed by the fuel, tires, and other combustible materials that make up cars. The Portugal News reports that the 4,000 festival-goers were advised to leave the premises as soon as the fire was observed, as a precautionary measure.
Fortunately for those attending the event, nobody was injured. Considering that the blaze spread to such a degree that led to the destruction of 422 vehicles, the organizers can be proud of their work on evacuating all the people that went to the venue.
Evidently, things might not have gone as well if this event was held entirely indoors and vehicles outside had broken out in flames, but we prefer to focus on the positive side of the news as often as we can.
The festival was supposed to last for six days and was scheduled to be spread over an area of 48 hectares (118,56 acres), the equivalent of 57 soccer pitches or about 48 rugby fields made to international specifications. Organizers were expecting about 40,000 visitors by Sunday, the last day of the event.
The cause of the fire is under investigation by local and government authorities. Considering high temperatures in the summer and vast fields with dry vegetation, a stray cigarette bud could have been enough to start a fire like this.
If you find yourself at an event like this, never throw a lit cigarette or a match on the ground, as it may cause a fire such as this one, with serious consequences.
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