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Camp Bestival Explosion Leaves Two Injured, One Severely

Camp bestival explosion dorset injured

A man and a woman were injured at Camp Bestival after a horrific explosion in the Dorset, England festival’s campgrounds. As the BBC reports, the unidentified woman was airlifted to a burn unit after the afternoon accident on Thursday, August 1, with what were described as “life-changing” injuries. The man was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The extent of his injuries has not yet been reported.

Dorset firefighters said the blast was caused when gas from a stove inside a tent leaked and was ignited by the flame of another stove nearby, destroying 20 percent of the tent and damaging another. “As soon as the explosion occurred it alerted other campers,” said Steve Underhill of the Dorset Fire and Rescue Service. “They came forward with extinguishers, with buckets and bottles of water and quickly put the fire out in the tent [and] then applied cooling water to the casualties. Their actions were invaluable.”

“Following this incident further safety messages and briefings have been put into place to reinforce fire safety practices,” a festival spokesperson said in a statement. “Everyone at Camp Bestival wishes both persons a speedy recovery.” The festival runs August 1 to 4 at the grounds of Lulworth Castle, with this year’s performers including Pulp’s Richard Hawley, Ash, Grandmaster Flash, Billy Bragg, and the Proclaimers.