The fire broke out shortly after 9:00 pm (1900 GMT) on two gondolas at the Highfield Festival and was quickly brought under control.
Four people were burned, one injured in a fall and another 18 people suffered from smoke inhalation, the police spokesperson said.
Members of the police force and firefighters responding to the incident were also injured, he added.
Photos published by German media showed flames engulfing gondolas on the spinning Ferris wheel, with thick black smoke billowing above the ride.
Zwei Gondeln eines Riesenrades fangen Feuer – mehrere Verletzte https://t.co/GSECJSnAm5 pic.twitter.com/hBNUVu0Mkb
— WELT (@welt) August 17, 2024
Helicopters and fire crews quickly responded and all of the injured were transported to a nearby hospital, the spokesperson said.
The Highfield Festival, which bills itself as the largest independent rock festival, attracts thousands of visitors every summer to the shores of man-made Lake Stormthaler outside Leipzig.
This year’s lineup included Macklemore, The Kooks, Flogging Molly and Rise Against.
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