Huge fire breaks out in Qatar World Cup city with huge plumes of smoke over fan park
A huge fire broke out on Saturday in the city of Lusail in Qatar.
Smoke emerged over the top of buildings close to one of the World Cup fan villages. Viral footage has shown a roof lashing with flames in Qetaifan Island North, some two miles from Lusail Stadium.
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The ground will play host to several games during the tournament – including the clash between Argentina and Mexico late on Saturday.
A thick black smoke filled the sky – and it could be seen from a marketplace in central Doha.
Luckily, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior said the Civil Defence had the fire under control “without casualties”.
The stadium was constructed after Qatar won the rights to host the World Cup in 2010. Its production has attracted billions in investment from the state’s sovereign wealth fund.
Its location is north of the capital city of Doha’s West Bay. It was designed to accommodate thousands of incoming tourists, with 22 new hotels and other attractions such as a theme park.
The fan village has some 1,800 tents and other facilities.
Indeed, it comes before the Group C clash on Saturday night – with Argentina, licking wounds from their loss to Saudi Arabia, hoping to turn their fortunes around in the World Cup.
Lionel Scaloni’s side had been on a 36-match unbeaten streak going into the tournament – but they faltered to KSA.
He said ahead of the game: “We hope to bring some joy for Maradona, who will be looking down at us from the sky.
“That will be the most important thing for us. Every time we see images of him it is unbelievable that he is not here with us. Hopefully, it will be a happy day for all of us.”
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