Minor fire incident disrupts aespa's 'M Countdown' pre-recording
What's the story
On Thursday morning, a minor fire occurred during K-pop group aespa's pre-recording for the weekly music show M Countdown. Mnet confirmed that the fire was caused by a spark that flew into the set located at the corner of the stage. The network stated that there were no injuries and reassured that all sets are treated to be flame retardant to prevent future incidents.
Evacuation details
Swift evacuation followed the fire incident, no injuries reported
The fire was detected in its early stage and was immediately extinguished, leading to a prompt evacuation of artists and the crew nearby the stage. Mnet reassured that all M Countdown sets are flame retardant and promised to re-examine the maintenance status to prevent similar incidents in the future. The recording of aespa's comeback stage was completed and will be broadcast as scheduled.
Health concerns
aespa's Winter to take a break following the incident
After the fire incident, SM Entertainment announced that Winter, a member of aespa, would not participate in the Thursday live broadcast due to health concerns. The company stated that Winter needs rest and stability due to her health condition. To recall, the vocalist underwent a pneumothorax surgery earlier this year. The operation was performed as a preventive measure due to the recurring nature of pneumothorax, commonly known as a collapsed lung.
Album promotion
aespa is currently promoting 'Supernova' ahead of 'Armageddon' release
Despite the incident, aespa will continue to promote their first full-length album titled Armageddon, set for release on May 27. The album features 10 songs, including two title tracks. The group recently unveiled the music video for the first title track, Supernova, on Monday, May 13. The second title track, Armageddon, will be released alongside the album later this month.