Fire engulfs music festival in Spain, thousands evacuated

About 22,000 people were evacuated from a music festival in Spain late Saturday night after a massive fire suddenly engulfed the stage, local media reported.

According to Deutsche-Presse Agentur, DPA, the cause of the fire at the 'Unite with Tomorrowland' festival in Barcelona was unclear, although reports suggested it may have been linked to a pyrotechnics display that was part of the performance.

Twitter users posted dramatic footage of the fire, showing huge flames and billowing black smoke coming from the left-hand side of the stage.

The fire was put out around midnight.

Festival organisers later posted a statement online saying the stage had caught fire due to a technical malfunction.

"Thanks to the professional intervention of the authorities, all 22,000 visitors were evacuated safely and without reports of injuries," it said.

Tomorrowland is an open air electronic dance festival that has taken place in Belgium for the past 12 years. This year a series of linked festivals took place in other countries, including Spain, added DPA.