Huge smoke spreads from fire in Hamburg, Germany
China News Agency, Berlin, April 9 (Xinhua) according to comprehensive German media reports, a fire broke out in the port city of Hamburg in northern Germany on the 9th, and huge smoke spread at the scene. Preliminary investigations indicated that no one was injured in the fire.
According to the North German broadcasting company NDR, the fire broke out in a parking lot in the Rothenburg area of Hamburg at about 4:30 in the morning. Several warehouses caught fire and produced huge smoke. According to preliminary investigations, there was a hydrogen sulfide leak at the scene, and firefighters were working on the scene wearing respirators. There were multiple explosions at the scene.
According to reports, a total of six fire trucks and more than 200 rescue personnel including the fire brigade, members of the Federal Technical Relief Agency and the police rushed to the scene. Fighting the fire will continue throughout the day.
The fire and smoke were classified as “extremely dangerous” in an official morning warning. The fire department urged residents to protect themselves from the smoke by keeping windows and doors shut and turning off air conditioning systems and vents. It warned that residents could be adversely affected by the smoke and chemicals in the air they breathe due to the fire.
A spokesman for the fire department said at noon that the smoke from the fire had been confirmed to be less toxic than initially feared, the Hamburg Evening Zeitung reported. Therefore, the warning level can be lowered from the highest three-level “extreme danger” to the lowest one-level “dangerous information” level. However, one still needs to be cautious. “There’s also a huge mushroom cloud on the scene.”
Deutsche Bahn said it had temporarily closed traffic between Hamburg and the nearby town of Büchen because of the fire. Trains between Hamburg and Berlin were also forced to divert, causing delays. Local traffic was also restricted due to fire rescue.
Source: China News Network Author: Editor: Gao Mingzhen
