Fire Breaks Out At Coachella Music Festival On First Night
While many teenagers and young adults flock to California each year for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, there are plenty of detractors who enjoy mocking the festival. While heading out to the desert to indulge in music, celeb sightings, and some recreational drug use might sound like a dream come true for some, for others, that lifestyle is nothing short of a nightmarish hellscape. Thankfully, a recent fire that broke out at Coachella will pave the way for internet memes, jokes, and references to another infamous music festival.
As reported by CNN, a fire broke out on the first night of the Coachella music festival in the early hours on Saturday, April 13. Authorities noted that no injuries were reported. The fire was reported shortly after 2 a.m. Pacific Time, and apparently broke out at one of the mobile shower units located at the Empire Polo Club grounds. After authorities were contacted, the Riverside County Fire Department dispatched four fire engines to the scene.
While no one suffered any injuries, there was plenty of damage to personal property. One trailer was destroyed in the fire, while another was heavily damaged. At the time of writing, authorities have not determined what caused the fire in the first place. As CNN notes, the fire broke out days after a Coachella worker died after falling to his death.
A fire broke out early today in one of the mobile shower units at the Coachella festival in Indio, California, officials say. No one was injured. https://t.co/VvYlKwctZF pic.twitter.com/n8emMSi4mr
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) April 13, 2019
One concertgoer, Lauren Rae Levy, witness the fire firsthand and recounted the experience to CNN.
“My fiancé, Marcel Vigneron, and I have an RV in the corner area close to where the fire was. It all happened a few minutes after 2 a.m., and the flames got high quickly,” Levy said.
“We were told at one point we had to vacate the premises, but then we were told it was OK and we could stay.”
“There are many firefighters around here, thankfully, so they were able to put it out quickly, thank goodness, but what a scare. We were evacuated from our home in Malibu in November, so this shook me up, seeing fire so close again. The flames got high.”
Several Twitter users were also quick to joke about the fire, joking that Coachella had turned into the Fire Festival, in reference to the failed Fyre Festival.
A small fire broke out at Coachella late last night. I guess you can say it’s a… fire… festival ? Anyway, stay safe out there!
— idobi Radio (@idobiradio) April 13, 2019
While the fire certainly caused some damage, it hasn’t caused any interruption to the festival’s planned concerts and music sets. The headlining acts for this year include Childish Gambino, Tame Impala, and Ariana Grande, and plenty of celebs have made the trek out to the desert, including Bella Thorne, Gigi Hadid, and Amanda Cerny.
