Huge blaze at major theme park as visitors flee from plumes of dark smoke
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A huge fire has broken out at a theme park dubbed the Disneyland of Germany, forcing visitors to evacuate.
Guests at Europa-Park watched in disbelief as dark plumes of smoke billowed into the sky behind a rollercoaster.
Footage taken at the park in Rust, Baden-Württemberg, was shared on social media with some users claiming the blaze had begun in the Spanish-themed area of the park.
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An eyewitness told a local news outlet: "It banged loudly two or three times. After that, a huge fire could be seen."
Meanwhile another witness who posted a picture of the devastating scene to Twitter added: "Sad – Fire in #europapark in the Spanish area, luckily we saw it just in time to leave the restaurant adjacent to the building. Hope all families and children are safe!"
Local media outlets have reported the park was evacuated in the wake of the blaze, with videos posted to social media showing guests fleeing the resort.
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The park's official press Twitter account wrote: "Dear visitors/friends of Europa-Park, an incident has occurred at Europa-Park. We work closely with the responsible authorities and emergency services. An update will follow as new information becomes available."
The park, located near the borders of France and Switzerland, first opened in 1975.
Covering 95 hectares, it is Germany's biggest theme park and has been dubbed the country's answer to Disneyland in Paris – the only larger amusement park in Europe.
The park has 19 themed areas – 16 after European countries and three more fantasy areas – 13 rollercoasters, 45 themed restaurants and bars, and six four-star hotels.
This isn't the first time the park has caught fire – a previous blaze in May 2018 saw witnesses report seeing flames reach up to 15m in height, destroying the Pirates of Batavia attraction and the "Scandinavia" of the park and prompting another evacuation.
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