A man and a woman have been injured in an explosion at the Camp Bestival music festival in Dorset, England. BBC News reports that the two suffered serious burns, with the woman airlifted to a special burns unit in Bristol. The unnamed woman’s injuries were described by ambulance services as “life-changing.”
The man injured in the incident was taken by ambulance to Dorset County Hospital in Dorchester. Witnesses at the festival reported seeing a fireball in the traders’ camping area in the grounds of Lulworth Castle, where the festival takes place.
Investigators from the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service said that the explosion was caused by a gas leak from a cooking stove cylinder. The leaking gas then ignited another cylinder nearby. Campers were alerted immediately by the explosion and began dousing the blaze with fire extinguishers and buckets and bottles of water, while applying cool water to the casualties. Steve Underhill, of the fire service, labelled their actions “invaluable”.
The blast destroyed one tent and damaged another with no other injuries reported. A spokesperson for the festival said: “Following this incident further safety messages and briefings have been put into place to reinforce fire safety practices. Everyone at Camp Bestival wishes both persons a speedy recovery.”
Camp Bestival takes place between 1st and 4th August, featuring performances from Richard Hawley, The Levellers, Labrinth and Mark Owen.
(Via NME)
