Fire at the victory celebration: 500 people brought to safety!

Fire at the victory celebration: 500 people brought to safety!

On Thursday, May 2, 2025, RZ Pellets WAC celebrated its excellent victory in the ÖFB Cup in the Wörthersee Stadium in Klagenfurt. However, this sporting achievement was overshadowed by a serious incident. During the subsequent victory celebration in the Lavanttal Arena in Wolfsberg, a fire broke out that quickly turned the joy into fear.

The fire occurred around 10:47 p.m. when the roof of the Arena VIP area opened in flames. The fire was triggered by a non-registered fireworks display that was ignited by fan groups. Fireworks batteries left behind on the roof finally led to the dangerous incident. On site, security forces were forced to quickly initiate evacuation measures, which caused around 500 people to be brought to safety. Fortunately, there were no injuries to report.

rapid reaction of the fire brigade

The fire brigade was alerted shortly before 11:00 p.m. and had to face a threatening situation: when the emergency services arrived, the roof of the arena was already on fire. Under the direction of firefighters from Wolfsberg, St. Stefan and St. Johann, 38 emergency services fought against the fire. After around an hour of intensive fire fighting, the fire brigade was able to successfully extinguish the fire and prevent worse things.

The police decided to declare the victory celebration immediately after the fire. For the fire experts, there are now extensive investigations to examine the damage caused by extinguishing water.

The dangers of fireworks

The incident once again throws a light on the risks associated with uncontrolled fireworks. Experts repeatedly warn of the dangers that work out of unauthorized pyrotechnic events. According to Safety & Security, certain safety rules should be observed before ignition in order to avoid such dangerous situations. This includes, among other things, that only approved fireworks should be used and the ignition must be carried out outside of crowds.

The events in Wolfsberg show how important it is to take security measures to minimize the dangers of fireworks. This statement could also help to make solemn occasions to be more secure in the future.