Explosion rocks Coachella on first night of music festival sparking huge fire in mobile shower unit in campsite
- The fire started at around 2am after revellers said they heard a loud explosion
- A man tweeted: ‘Coachella just turned into a fire fest. Showers just exploded!!’
- Firefighters sent four engines to contain the blaze and said no one was injured
An explosion is believed to have sparked a huge fire at the Coachella music festival in California as the first night of acts came to a close.
Revellers were confronted by the blaze as it tore through a mobile shower unit near the centre of the campsite in Indio.
One person tweeted: ‘What is going on!! There is a huge fire at the Coachella mobile showers!!!’
The fire was at a shower block in the centre of the music festival, which up to 250,000 people attend annually
Another wrote: ‘Coachella just turned into a fire fest. The showers just exploded!!’
One man commented: ‘It’s literally hella lit right now. No seriously like it’s lit – the showers caught fire.’
And another added: ‘Showers at Coachella campground caught on fire… ‘everybody out of the showers now!’ – someone in their towel running out.’
Footage shows flames leaping out of a rectangular building, believed to be the showers.
Tenani French tweeted with a video from the scene: ‘Coachella just turned into a FIRE FEST. The showers just exploded!!’
An explosion was reported by witnesses at about 2am – around the time the fire was spotted.
Firefighters could be seen spraying jets of water on the burning shack as festival-goers looked on in horror.
The Riverside County Fire Department said they sent four engines to the scene and no one was injured.
Riverside County Fire department were called to the blaze and could be seen spraying jets of water on it
It tweeted at 2.28am: ‘Fire Contained. Mobile Shower Unit in Lot 8 Storage Area.
‘Total of 2 trailers involved. 1 damaged, 1 destroyed. No reported injuries to fire personnel or civilians. Fire crews will remain on scene for 1 hour for overhaul.’
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is greatly-anticipated every year, with celebrities among the 250,000 rushing to Indio to attend.
Rapper Childish Gambino had brought day one of the festival to a close.
Gambino, the alter ego of actor Donald Glover, topped the bill on Friday’s opening night and will be followed by fellow headliners Tame Impala on Saturday and Ariana Grande on Sunday.
It comes a year after a devastating six-mile wide fire burned through 10 acres of vegetation during the festival.
Officials said at the time the fire had the potential to spread 50 acres, but added that at no point were revellers in any danger.