The board of directors for Swedish theme park Liseberg intends to rebuild its Oceana indoor water park following this week's deadly fire.
The fire started Monday morning at Oceana Water World, a 3.5-acre mostly indoor water park that was scheduled to open this summer. The blaze quickly engulfed much of the construction site, including the park's main building and its exterior water slides, ultimately killing a construction manager and injuring more than a dozen others. The cause of the fire remains under investigation and unknown at this time.
"It is with the deepest sorrow we have received information from the police that a person has been found deceased at the site of the fire, who is most likely our esteemed colleague Patrik Gillholm," Liseberg CEO Andreas Andersen said. "What was a confirmed disaster limited to material losses has turned into a confirmed tragedy with loss of life."
On Friday, Liseberg's board of directors heard status reports on the situation at Oceana.
"The loss of life puts everything into perspective, and our thoughts go to Patrik's family and close friends," board chairman Kurt Eliasson said. The board also expressed its gratitude to emergency services personnel who responded to the fire.
"We have felt tremendous support from everyone involved. The love that the people of Gothenburg and all of Sweden have shown for the project and Liseberg during this difficult time has been invaluable," Eliasson said. The board also expressed its wish to continue with the Oceana project, once the investigations are complete.
"The fire was devastating, but it will not stop the development of the destination Liseberg," Eliasson said. "Liseberg is an important part of Gothenburg's identity, and this project is a crucial component in the recovery of the West Swedish tourism industry. Therefore, the board has unanimously decided to instruct Liseberg's management to investigate and start planning for how a reconstruction can take place."
"Over the past week, Liseberg's crisis management team has been fully focused on the acute phase of the crisis," Eliasson said. "Now we are slowly moving forward, and as a unified board, we want to be clear about our intentions early on."
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