Report: Welding at water slide caused huge fire in Sweden that killed one person

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A welding operation sparked a huge fire in February at a water park that was under construction at one of Sweden’s biggest amusement centers, causing the death of one person, a newspaper reported Wednesday.

“When welding the water slide, a fire started which then spread to the rest of the building. The fire spread quickly and caused great destruction,” the Goteborgs-Posten newspaper said, quoting a police report.

The blaze destroyed a large part of the Oceana water park that was scheduled to open this summer in Goteborg, Sweden’s second-largest city. Officers were only able to enter the site days later and found a dead person there.

The fire at the popular Liseberg amusement complex spread over several water slides and the pool area of the water park. A nearby hotel and office facilities had to be evacuated. Sixteen were slightly injured.